1 85 7 James Joseph Sylvester 375 



The death of four members was announced John Disney, 

 Dr. Paris, William H. Pepys, and the late Treasurer Joseph 

 Smith. 



Letters of resignation were read from Dr. N. Arnott, 

 John J. Bennett, and George Bishop. Nine members had 

 attended no meeting since the previous Anniversary. Three 

 of these resigned. Two sent a satisfactory excuse. Of 

 the rest only one, John C. Morris, was " not re-elected." 

 Eleven vacancies were now declared. The following candi- 

 dates were balloted for and duly elected : Colonel Yorke, 

 Dr. Arthur Farre, James Joseph Sylvester, Captain Charles 

 Wright Younghusband, and Thomas Webster. 



Lieut. -Colonel Philip James Yorke was educated at Harrow 

 and joined the Scots Fusilier Guards. He was fond of 

 Chemistry and one of the original members of the Chemical 

 Society, of which in 1853 he was elected President. He 

 became F.R.S. in 1849. 



Arthur Farre, a prominent London physician, was Professor 

 of Obstetric Medicine at King's College and Physician Extra- 

 ordinary to Queen Victoria. He was elected into the Royal 

 Society in 1839. 



James Joseph Sylvester, one of the most distinguished 

 mathematicians of his day, studied at St. John's College, 

 Cambridge, and was second wrangler in 1837. Immediately 

 after his brilliant college career he was appointed Professor 

 of Natural Philosophy at University College, London. In 

 the course of a few years he was induced to accept the 

 Professorship of Mathematics in the University of Virginia. 

 But after four years in the United States he returned to 

 this country, and for fifteen years taught mathematics at 

 the military academy, Woolwich. In 1877 he was again 

 led to accept an American professorship the Chair of Mathe- 

 matics at the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, where 

 his great powers were much appreciated. But after six 

 years he came back to England and became Savilian Pro- 

 fessor of Geometry at Oxford an appointment which he 

 held till his death in 1897. His powers as algebraist and 

 geometer could only be adequately appreciated by the 



