1838 Marquess of Northampton; Dr. Neil Arnott 325 



Day. On the same day Spencer Joshua Alwyne Compton, 

 second Marquess of Northampton, was elected President of 

 the Society. In accordance with the rules of the Club he 

 was asked whether he wished to become " a permanently 

 subscribing member." He at once agreed, paid his sub- 

 scription, and took the chair at the dinner on December 

 I3th. 



The Marquess of Northampton, who was President of the 

 Royal Society for ten years, was a Master of Arts of Trinity 

 College, Cambridge, and had been for eight years in the 

 House of Commons as Lord Compton. He succeeded to 

 the marquisate in 1828. He specially cultivated geology 

 and mineralogy, and took much interest in the young 

 Geological Society, of which he was chosen one of its early 

 Presidents. He wrote on the geology of Mull, an island with 

 which he was connected through his wife, daughter of a 

 Highland laird. He made large collections of fossils and 

 minerals. He gave receptions at his London house, where 

 his Marchioness was famed as an accomplished and gracious 

 hostess. 



The monthly dinners in autumn were this year fairly well 

 supported. The first Thursday in July, having been taken 

 for the date of the Anniversary, a larger attendance than 

 usual was assured. At the August dinner there were five 

 present, in that of September eleven, in that of October 

 seventeen, and in that of November seventeen. 



A few of the guests this year may be briefly noticed. 

 Dr. Neil Arnott, who this year was elected into the Royal 

 Society, had graduated in medicine and entered the East 

 India Company's service, in which he made two voyages 

 to China. He settled as a physician in London in 1811, 

 and acquired a large practice. He took much interest 

 in physics, especially in relation to medicine, and had an 

 original inventive talent, as he showed in his " water-bed," 

 as well as broad views on the subject of warming and ventilat- 

 ing, which he discussed in a separate work. He was a liberal 

 benefactor to higher education. William Macgillivray, who 

 was twice the guest of Mr. Children, after graduating in 



