THE ROYAL SOCIETY AND THE STATE 



ing the practicability of a North- West Passage. The Lords 

 of the Admiralty gave orders for the fitting out of four 

 vessels, and invited detailed instructions from the Royal 

 Society for the guidance of the officers. The Council 

 recommended Colonel, then Captain, Sabine to proceed 

 with the North-West Expedition, and Mr. Fisher to 

 accompany the Polar one. The expedition failed to 

 procure geographical results of importance, but it was far 

 from fruitless, for the magnetical observations brought 

 back by Sabine were an addition of real value to physical 

 science. 



This expedition was followed by another two years 

 later under Parry, which resulted in the discovery of the 

 Strait called after Barrow, then Secretary to the Admiralty. 



A later Polar Expedition, under Captains Parry and 

 Ross in 1827, was promoted by the Royal Society, and 

 brought home valuable magnetical observations, which 

 were printed in the Society's Transactions. 



At home, it was through the Society's influence that 

 Dr. Maskelyrie, the Astronomer Royal, was able to make 

 observations in Scotland for the purpose of deducing the 

 density of the earth. Dr. Hutton undertook the laborious 

 task of working up the data, the whole expenses being 

 borne by the Society. 



These few examples, inadequate as they are, must 

 suffice on this occasion to remind us of the many labours 

 during two centuries and a half undertaken by the Society 



for the public good. I pass now at once to some of the 



75 



