iSS 



NATURE 



[December 20, 1894 



the greatest amount of work." It is the post-graduate endow- 

 ments Ibat must first find and retain to science the Faradays of 

 the future. 



A notable instance of the need and value of such aid is found 

 in the recently-appointed head of a great university, who, by 

 such endowments alone, here and abroad, it is said, was en- 

 abled 10 prosecute his studirs for ten years successively, reach- 

 ing thereby the front rank in his chosen department of 

 philosophy. 



III. 



.■\nothcr department in great need of pecuniary support is 

 that of the learned and scientific societies. In these England 

 is pre-eminent. Our own societies have endeavoured to follow, 

 as far as they could, their English models. The English 

 societies have rendered to science invaluable service in three 

 main lines : 



1. In providing ample means for the publication of scientific 

 papers, showing the progress and the results of their scientific 

 work. In this every society has taken part. 



2. In the direct maintenance of original research, in which 

 the Royal Institution has been most conspicuous. 



3. In the award of prizes for sciintific distinction ; but still 

 more important, in the distribution o( pecuniary aid, for the 

 prosecution of special scientific researches. 



(1) Of these, I regard publication as, perhaps, the most im- 

 portant ; not only because it puts the world in possession of 

 what has been done by investigators, but beciuse the very fact 

 that there are means of publication, is one of the greatest iocite- 

 mcnis to complete and thorough original scientific work. 



Of the Eiglish societies the Royal Society is the oldest, 

 having been chartered in 1662. It has published 181 volumes 

 of Tranailions and about 50 volumes of l^rocctdings. For 

 these purpose', in 18S1 the expenditure was between 11,000 

 dols. and 12,000 dols. It has property to ihe value of ab lut 

 two-thirds of a million of dollars, more than half of which is 

 in trust funds, held tor scientific uses. The income on the trust 

 funds in 1891 was about 17,500 dols. (Proceedings, 1891, vol. I. 

 p. 235.) In 1828 Dr. Wollaston, in giving it 10,000 dols. 

 in 3 per cent. Consols "to promote scientific researches," 

 charged upon the Society "not to hoard the income parsi- 

 moniously, but to expend it liberally for the objects named." 



The Royal Institution of Great Britain was founded in 1779, 

 largely through our countryman James Thompson, of Rumfoid, 

 Vi., afterwards Count Rumford. In iSSS it had property and 

 invested funds for general purposes to the amount of 350. 000 dols., 

 and about 40,000 dols. of invested funds for the maintenance 

 of its three professors. In 1887 it expended about 2000 dols. 

 in publications, and it has issued about forty volumes. (Report, 

 1888, p. 13.) 



The Linnean Society, now furnished by the Government 

 with permanent accommodation in Hurlington House, free of 

 rent, was founded by Sir James E. Smiih in 1 788, and is devoted 

 to botany and zoology. Its nroperty amounts to about 32,000 

 dols., but it has no endowed funds for scientific investiijation. 

 For some years past its receipts, mainly from contriliutions, 

 have been about 10,000 dols. a year, of which one-half, about 

 5000 dols., is spent on its publications, which now number 

 nearly fifty volumes of Transactions in quarto, and as many 

 more of its Journal. In 1888 7000 dols. were expended in 

 publication. (A'roc^a'iwfy [May 4, 188S], 1890, pp. 15, 45.) 



Next in order of lime is the lirilish Association for the 

 Advancement of .Science, founded in 1831. It is sustained 

 chiefly by yearly contriliuiions. Its investcil funds amount to 

 aiiout 62,000 ilols. It» income and contributions are about 

 10,000 doU. annually, out of which it appropriates from 6000 

 dols. to 7000 dols. per annum for the encouragement of scien- 

 tific investigations, and about 1800 dols. annually for its yearly 

 volume of /'roceeilings. Its publications now number twenty- 

 five volume.*. (Kef'ort, 1891, pp. Ixxxvii. toe. 76.) 



The Kay Society w.as fiundeil in 1844. It was named after 

 the Rev. John Ray, who lived from 1628 until 1705. Hallcr, 

 himself one of Ihe greatest men of science of his time, writing in 

 1771, in Ihe full light of l.innxus' fame, calls Kay "the greatest 

 botanist within the memory of mm." (Bibliothtca liotanica.) 

 The society has publisherl about fifty volumes of scientific 

 works of the highest importance. I have not seen anystntisiics 

 concerning us means or acquisitions ; nor have I found any 

 financial report of the Kicnlific societies of Edinburgh or 

 iJublin. 



(2) Of these societies, only the Koyal Institution directly 



NO. 131 2, VOL. ,<^ll 



supports professors for scientific research. It has two labor.i- 

 tories, one chemical and one physical. These were rebuilt in 

 1872, " in order that original discovery might be more elVec- 

 tively carried on." The society w.-is founded for the declared 

 purpose of " promoting scientific and literary research." It has 

 three professors — one in chemistry, one in physics, and one in 

 physiology. Davy, Faraday, Tyndall, and others who have 

 spent their lives there, have made its annals immortal. 



(31 In stimulating research by the appropriation of moneys 

 for specific objects, the Royal Society and the British Associa- 

 tion are the chief .igencies. Besides some of its own funds, the 

 Koyal Society distributes annually £^a,ooo, or 20,ooodols. , granted 

 by the Government " for the advancement of science." This 

 has been done by applying it to numerous purposes ; in 1S91, 

 for fifty-seven different scientific objects, in sums ranging from 

 25 dols. to 3000 dols. each ; not confined to natural science 

 alone, but including ethnology and magnetic surveys. Most of 

 the grants were in sums of about 350 dols. or less. (Proceeding, 

 1S91, vol. I. p. 242 ) 



The British Association has disbursed annually for the last 

 forty years from 6000 dols. to 7000 dols. per annu n, upon the 

 same system of dividing it up lor numerous specific purposes; 

 usually from thirty to forty objects yearly, the grants being in 

 sums ranging from 25 dols. to 1000 dols. The grants are called 

 for and expended for the specific purpose named, and under the 

 direction of some prominent scientific man. Men of science like 

 Sir William Thomson, and others of like renown, have had the 

 administration of many of these grants. These have included 

 for the last six years (save in iSgo) the appropriation of 500 

 dols. per vear for a table in the Naples Marine Laboratory. 

 (Report, 1S90, p. 90,) 



We have no single .society in this country, save the Smith- 

 sonian, that can rival in importance those ihat 1 have named 

 in England. And the Smithsonian is not a society, but an insti- 

 tution, established by one man, and he an Engli-hman. This 

 institution, based upon the bequest of James Smiih.-on, was 

 founded by act of Congress of August 10, 1846. I doubt whether 

 in any country or in any age the bequest of half a million of 

 dollars has ever been followed by such beneficent results, or has 

 ever so profoundly affected the life of science in any country as 

 the .Smithsonian Institution has done in America during the last 

 iorty-four years of its existence. I'his has been owing (i) to 

 the wisdom and the profound scientific insight of Prof. Henry, 

 its first secretary and director ; and (2) to the corps of able 

 assistants and successors whom his spirit and policy have 

 inspired. Its publications number 26 quarto volumes of 

 "Contributions to Knowledge," 40 volumes of "Mis- 

 cellaneous Collections," and 44 volumes of "Annual 

 Reports." Its "Contributions to Knowledge ' rival, if 

 they do not excel, in rarity and importance, the publications 

 of any other society during the same peiiod. Its expendi- 

 ture in publications is about 12,500 dols. a year. Under Prof. 

 Henry a good deal was done in research. Under Prof. Langley, 

 the present director, astro-physical research is carried on. 

 Besides the direct scientific v\oik of the Insiiiulion, however, 

 its influence ha- been very great, especially in its relations with 

 the other departments at Washington, and as a mcduini for the 

 prosecution of ether scientific enterprises under authority of 

 Congress. Many of the ap|)ropriationsol Congress lor scientific 

 expeditions for researches in ethnology, i>alxontology, chemistry, 

 and physics have been due to the jiresencc and co-operation of 

 the Smithsonian Institution. Fir cilinologic researches alone 

 during the Last twelve years, under the administration of the 

 .Smithsonian, Congress has appropriated 400,000 dols. ; to 

 palxontologic researches within the last three years, 

 160,000 dols. ; to chemical and physical research, 68, 000 dols. ; 

 and to astro- physical research, lo.ooodols. Besides these, there 

 have been for many years appropriations for maintaining the 

 important investigations of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, and 

 of the Weather Bureau in Meteorology ; and for Ihe great 

 scii niific work of the Naval Observatory, and of the various 

 scientific divisions of the Agricultural Depaitmcnl and of the 

 Geological Survey. Our Government has been by no means 

 inactive in science. 



The princiial American scientific associations, omitting those 

 of comparatively recent origin, are the Ameiican I'hili sopliical 

 .Society of Philadelphia, originally founded in 1744; the 

 American Academy of Arts and Sciences at Boston ; the 

 Boston .Society of Natural History : the Academy ol Natural 

 Sciences', and the Franklin Institute at Philadelphia, the latter 



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