AND MODERN PHYSICS. 55 



was communicated to tho Royal Society by Professor 

 Stokes in January, 1860. It contains the account of 

 his colour-box in the form finally adopted (most of 

 the important parts of the apparatus are still at the 

 Cavendish Laboratory), and a number of observations 

 by Mrs. Maxwell and himself, which will be more 

 fully described later. 



In November, 18CO, he received for this work the 

 Itiunford medal of the Royal Society. 



The next year, 1801, Is of great importance in the 

 history of electrical science. The British Association 

 met at Manchester, and a Committee was appointed 

 on Standards of Electrical Resistance. Maxwell was 

 not a member. Tho committee reported at the 

 Cambridge meeting in 18G2, and were reappointed 

 with extended duties. Maxwell's name, among 

 others, was added, and ho took a prominent part in 

 tho deliberations of tho committee, which, as their 

 Report* presented in 18G3 states, came to tho 

 opinion, "after mature consideration, that the sys- 

 tem of so-called absolute electrical units, based on 

 purely mechanical measurements, is not only the best 

 system yet proposed, but is the only one consistent 

 with our present knowledge both of the relations 

 existing between tho various electrical phenomena and 

 of the connection between these and the fundamental 

 measurements of time, space, and mass." 



Appendix C of this Report, " On the Elementary 



Relations between Electrical Measurements," bears the 



names of Clerk Maxwell and Flecming Jcnkin, and is 



tho foundation of everything that has been done in 



* B.A. Report, Newcastle, 18G3. 



