360 Presidentship of the Earl of Rosse 1851 



his own countrymen had given him the fullest credit as 

 actually the earliest to solve the problem. The Royal 

 Society had awarded to him its Copley Medal and had 

 elected him into the number of its Fellows. He was a 

 Fellow and Tutor of St. John's College, Cambridge. 



Sir John Richardson of Arctic fame was Murchison's 

 guest on January lyth. Much had happened in the explora- 

 tion of the polar regions since he last dined with the Club 

 in 1829. His old chief, Franklin, had sailed once more into 

 the Arctic seas, and nothing had been heard of him since. 

 Richardson had himself in 1847 conducted an expedition 

 in search of the lost explorer, from which he returned in 

 1849 without success. 



1851. The Anniversary for the year 1851 took place on 

 June 26, when twenty-one members were present, with the 

 Earl of Rosse, President, in the chair. It was announced by 

 the Treasurer that the expenses of the past year had 

 amounted to 106 i8s. and that there remained in his 

 hands an unexpended sum of i i8s. 5d. The contribu- 

 tion for the ensuing year was again made two pounds. 



The death of Lord Bexley was reported. The vacancy thus 

 caused in the membership, coupled with the two which were 

 left over last year, made three places to be filled. There 

 were three candidates on the list. Each was balloted for 

 and all were declared elected, viz. Dr. Neil Arnott, Sir 

 Benjamin Collins Brodie, and Sir Charles L. Eastlake. 

 The first of these new members has been already noticed 

 (p- 3 2 5)- Sir Benjamin Brodie, famous as a surgeon, had 

 specially distinguished himself by his scientific study of 

 the profession. He had been elected into the Royal Society 

 as far back as 1810, when he was only twenty-seven years 

 of age, and the Society further testified its recognition of 

 the value of his researches by awarding him next year the 

 Copley Medal. He had been made a baronet in 1834, 

 and President of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1844. 

 A few years were still to elapse before he became President 

 of the Royal Society. Sir Charles Eastlake, President of the 

 Royal Academy, was elected into the Royal Society in 1838. 



