1864 THE X CLUB 371 



Herbert Spencer, who had already published Social 

 Statics, Principles of Psychology, and First Principles. 



William Spottiswoode (1825-1883), F.E.S., Trea- 

 surer and afterwards President RS. 1878, who carried 

 on the business of the Queen's printer as well as 

 being deeply versed in mathematics, philosophy, and 

 languages. 



John Tyndall, F.RS. (1820-1893), who had been 

 for the last eleven years Professor of Natural Philo- 

 sophy at the Eoyal Institution, where he succeeded 

 Faraday as superintendent. 



The one object, then, of the club was to afford a 

 certain meeting-ground for a few friends who were 

 bound together by personal regard and community of 

 scientific interests, yet were in danger of drifting 

 apart under the stress of circumstances. They dined 

 together on the first Thursday in each month, except 

 July, August, and September, before the meeting of 

 the Koyal Society, of which all were members except- 

 ing Mr. Spencer, the usual dining hour being six, so 

 that they should be in good time for the society's 

 meeting at eight; and a minute of December 5, 1885, 

 when Huxley was treasurer and revived the ancient 

 custom of making some note of the conversation, 

 throws light on the habits of the club. " Got scolded," 

 he writes, "for dining at 6.30. Had to prove we 

 have dined at 6.30 for a long time by evidence of 

 waiter." (At the February meeting, however, "agreed 

 to fix dinner hour six hereafter.") " Talked politics, 

 scandal, and the three classes of witnesses liars, 



