132 
NATURE 

[Fune 15,1871 

public pressure, or other cause that led to their appointment, has 
died out, or action is necessary,—in either case the Committee 
is considered to have served its purpose, and is broken up ; the 
members disperse, take up other duties, the knowledge of a par- 
ticular subject which they gained in the course of their inquiry 
is lost to the country, and a scientific problem is left half solved, 
until at some future day it must be taken up again for completion, 
and the old work gone over de #ovo. The system of temporary 
Committees, in fact, implies a belief that finality is attainable in 
those mixed scientific problems in which chiefly the State is 
interested, or that such problems can advantageously be taken to 
bits and studied piecemeal ; whilst the fact is, that no one such 
problem that can be mentioned ever has, or ever will, as long as 
human ingenuity survives, come to an end. Permanent arrange- 
ments alone can deal with the unbroken continuity and unceasing 
change of scientific development. 
A third objection to such Committees consists in the fact that 
much of the investigation carried on by several Committees may 
be common toeach. This involves the repetition of the same work, 
and great consequent waste of time, effort, and money. . . . .« 
I come now to the third source from which the Government 
draws its scientific inspiration, namely, individuals eminent in 
science, and scientific bodies. Recourse is had to such sources 
without any system whatever ; there exists no rule, for instance, 
defining what cases should be submitted to an individual, what 
cases to a scientific society, and what cases toa temporary Com- 
mittee. Nor is it possible to assess the degree of responsibility 
attaching to an individual or to a scientific society advising the 
Government. If the advice so obtained is rejected, nothing 
about it is known publicly ; if it is adopted and turns out un- 
«sound, the right to blame the adviser is absent. It is impossible 
to ascertain when such consultations have occurred, and with 
what results. The probability is that they are not frequent. 
During the two years that I served on the Council of the Royal 
Society, I only remember one application from Government for 
advice. It was on some point connected with coppering ships. 
A committee was formed of the most competent persons, and 
probably very sound counsel was afforded. But it is evident 
that this is an expedient that cannot be frequently employed, as 
it would occupy too much of the time of the Society, which 
should be devoted to its legitimate objects. Advising the 
Government is certainly not one of these, nor should the 
Government of a great, powerful, and opulent nation like 
England be reduced to such makeshifts as private societies for 
direction in matters of such tremendous national moment. 
Having shown, I trust, that Government is without recognised 
scientific advisers, I proceed to discuss : 
Ill. What should be the constitution and functions of the pro- 
posed Council of Science ?—The ground requires to be cleared 
before approaching this question. I have heard it urged that 
the various departments of the State should be complete in 
themselves, each with its own consultative element, as distinct 
from its executive. This appears at first sight a plausible 
arrangement, but it will not bear examination. Many of the 
scientific inquiries that devolve on the Government affect 
several departments, and in such cases it would be wasteful 
to have numerous repetitions of the same investigation when 
one would do; and if, under the supposed arrangement, one 
investigation of a given class of subjects was decided on, the 
selection of the particular department to which it should be 
referred would cause endless bickerings and jealousies,—the 
co-operation of departments being, like universal peace, a some- 
what remote hope. Again several departmeats would require 
identical scientific advisers. a 6 
For these reasons I discard this suggestion, and revert to the 

proposal which forms the subject of this paper, namely, that” 
there should be one permanent great council for advising and 
assisting the Government on all State scientific questions. This 
council should be purely consultative, not executive. All depart- 
ments should equally be entitled to its assistance. The Council 
should not be expected to initiate questions, though it might 
occasionally see fit to propose certain investigations to the 
Government, without whose sanction, however, they should not 
be undertaken. The Government should not be bound on all 
occasions of scientific difficulty, either to resort to, or be guided 
by, the opinion of the Council ; but it would of course become 
in either case absolutely responsible for all consequences. .. .. 
The duties that would devolve on this Council, stated broadly, 
would be— 
Ist. To advise the Goyernment on all qnestions arising in the 

ordinary routine of administration, submitted to it by the various 
departments. 
2nd. To advise the Government on special questions, such as 
the founding of new scientific institutions, and the modification 
or abolition of old ones; the sanctioning of scientific expeditions, 
and applications for grants for scientific purposes. 
3rd. To receive, consider, and decide upon inventions ten- 
dered to Government for the use of the State. 
4th. Toconduct or superintend the experiments necessary to 
enable it to perform the above duties. 
As to the first branch of its duties little need be said. The 
number and variety of questions involving scientific considera- 
tions entering into the current work of the different departments 
are almost unlimited. A large proportion of them could be 
answered at once by competent persons, but there would remain 
many that require investigation, discussion, and often experi- 
ment. 4 
The second branch, special questions, would not perhaps be 
so extensive, but it would be exceedingly important. At present 
there exists literally no provision for dealing with such questions. 
Sometimes one person, supposed to have a knowledge of the 
matter at issue, sometimes another is consulted, sometimes no 
one. At present the Royal Commission now sitting is probably 
dealing with the subject of existing and required scientific insti- 
tutions. But supposing this body settles all such matters in the © 
most satisfactory manner at the present time, a reconsideration — 
of them will very soon be demanded by the rapid advance of ~ 
science, and the perpetually changing relations of different lines — 
and modes of physical inquiry. But the Royal Commission is a 
temporary body. Its functions will sooner or later cease, whilst 
the mutations and permutations of scientific thought are inces- 
sant. Questions relating to State scientific institutions require 
ceaseless watching,—never-ending modification. A permanent 
body, such as I propose, alone can preserve the national scien- 
tific establishments in a condition of vigorous efficiency on a 
level with the existing state of physical knowledge. 
The sanctioning of special scientific researches and expeditions 
will be a very important duty, which there is at present no one 
qualified to perform. clea 
Sanctioning of grants of money for aiding scientific objects 
comes under the same head as sanctioning expeditions. At 
present £1,000 per annum is granted by Government for such 
purposes, and it is distributed by the Government Grant Com- 
mittee of the Royal Society. As a member of this committee 
I can testify to the extreme care, fidelity, and impartiality with 
which it performs this gratuitous duty, The amount of the 
grant might with advantage be much increased, as at present 
only small sums can be given out of it to each applicant ; these 
are often quite insufficient, and as they must unavoidably be small, 
no application for aiding extensive and costly researches can 
expect efficient aid from so narrow a source. The proposed 
council would be a public body, precisely qualified to perform 
the duty now imposed on private individuals. 
The third branch of duties devolving naturally on the council 
would be the dealing with inventions tending for the use of the 
State. . es 
The fourth class of duties which the Council would have to per- 
form would relate to the experiments and investigations neces- 
sary to enable it to perform the duties previously enumerated. 
Regarding the necessity for providing the Council with the 
agency, appliances, accommodation, and funds requisite for 
these purposes, there can hardly be two opinions. They are 
absolutely indispensable. I need not here attempt to define 
what would be wanted. Such details would follow naturally 
the affirmation of the great principle involved in the creation of 
the Council. 
I come now to a question on which opinions may differ— 
namely, the question whether the Council should be a paid or 
an unpaid body. I say, unhesitatingly, that it should be hand- 
somely paid. If the heads of duties to be performed, of which 
I have given but an outline, be duly considered, it will be seen 
that they will be laborious, responsible, and beneficial in the 
highest degree ; and that they can only be adequately performed 
by highly qualified persons. It is idle to expect that such men 
as will be necessary, will devote themselves almost exclusively, 
as they will have to do, to such labour from pure love of science — 
and of their fellow-creatures. The delights of philosophical 
speculation are one thmg, carrying with them their own reward 
—a reward beyond any money consideration ; downright official 
routine work is quite another thing. In no other professional 
