1858 William Bowman ; Rowland Hill 377 



On the motion of Sir Roderick Murchison seconded by 

 Thomas Bell it was resolved that the ex-officio members, 

 not actually holding office in the Royal Society, be trans- 

 ferred to the list of ordinary members. There were at 

 this time five ex-officio members affected by this resolution 

 Thomas Bell, George Rennie, Dr. Roget, the Earl of Rosse 

 and Admiral Smyth. By their transference to the ordinary 

 list the number of vacancies was reduced to one. 



It was arranged at this meeting that Dr. Bence Jones 

 should be associated with Dr. Percy as joint-treasurer. A 

 further resolution was adopted that Admiral Smyth should 

 be requested to prepare a history of the Club from its com- 

 mencement to the present time, the Treasurer being 

 authorised to transfer to the Admiral all the Club docu- 

 ments in his custody. 



A few words may be added here regarding the new members 

 now elected. Charles Brooke was a surgeon of good standing 

 in London with a fondness for meteorology. He invented 

 some self-recording instruments. He became a Fellow of 

 the Royal Society in 1847. William Bowman has been 

 already referred to when he came to the Club as a guest 

 in 1844 (p. 341). His reputation as an ophthalmic surgeon 

 and a man of science was now much increased. He was 

 chosen in 1880 to be the first President of the Ophthalmological 

 Society of the United Kingdom, and was created a baronet 

 in 1884. He was for many years an active member of the 

 Royal Institution and for some time its Treasurer. He was 

 elected into the Royal Society in 1841. 



Rowland Hill's high claim to the gratitude not of his 

 own country only but of all civilised nations rests on his 

 having invented adhesive stamps, and worked out the 

 scheme of penny-postage. Appointed to the Post-office he 

 took an active part in carrying his idea into practice, and 

 had the satisfaction of seeing it thoroughly established in 

 1840. He received in his lifetime abundant acknowledg- 

 ment of the far-reaching usefulness of his scheme. He 

 was created K.C.B., and when he died in 1879 he was, as 

 a public benefactor, buried in Westminster Abbey. The 



