TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION F. 465 



Assuming that these societies fairly represent the number of persons in the 

 United Kingdom conversant with and interested in the respective branches of 

 science, the following proportion of each to one million of the population is 

 interesting : — 



Altogether, including local scientific societies (see Appendix), the number of 

 members of scientific societies of the United Kingdom is about 60,000. From 

 this number, however, we must deduct at least ten per cent., representing those 

 belonging to several" societies — leaving about 54,000 individual members. But 

 even that can scarcely be considered as representing men of science. Probably 

 the half may give us more approximately the number, say about 25,000 persons, 

 having any recognised status in the world of science, or actually engaged in the 

 pursuit of the same in the British Isles. 



The income of our scientific societies ordinarily arises from annual subscriptions, 

 or life subscriptions, of members, and from the proceeds of any funded property. 1 

 The expenditure consists of house rent, salaries, including sometimes secretary and 

 editor, cost of publications and miscellanies. The Royal Society, the Society of 

 Antiquaries, the Linnaean, the Royal Astronomical, the Geological, and the Chemi- 

 cal are provided with rooms at Burlington House by her Majesty's Government. 

 The Royal Geographical Society receives 500/. a year subvention towards house 

 rent for the purpose of a public exhibition of their maps and charts. Other 

 societies are but indifferently located, and their house rent constitutes an appreci- 

 able proportion of their expenditure. Dr. Siemens, the eminent president of the 

 Iron and Steel Institute, has offered the munificent sum of 10,000/. towards the 

 erection of a building suitable for the accommodation of the various societies 

 representing applied science in the metropolis. We trust several societies may 

 see their way to combine for such a purpose, and it would not be too much to 

 expect that her Majesty's Government may, if applied to, be willing to grant at 

 least a site for such a building. 



The funds of many scientific societies are far from abundant. A few have a 

 certain amount of stock, but several scarcely succeed in maintaining a perfect 

 equilibrium in their receipts and expenditure. Those societies which hold exhibi- 

 tions, whether permanent or periodical, are committed to operations not uniformly 

 successful and profitable. The activity and usefulness of the societies may best 

 be tested by the promptitude, character, and extent of their publications. The 

 principal societies publish both journal and transactions. The Society of Arts 

 publishes its Journal weekly, the Royal Geographical monthly, and other societies 

 quarterly. In some cases, however, as in the Society of Antiquaries, the publica- 

 tions appear at long intervals. Some societies publish only mutilated fragments 



1 The Royal Society of London possesses two estates in Lincolnshire and Acton, 

 and upwards of 80,000/. in different stocks. The Society of Antiquaries possesses 

 12,000/. stock; the Royal Institution, 33,178/. ; Royal Geographical Society, 15,469/.; 

 the United Service Institution, 18,750/. ; Statistical Society, 2,000/. ; Institute of 

 Civil Engineers, 41,500/. ; Society of Arts, 16,992/. ; Pharmaceutical Society of Great 

 Britain, 40,805/. ; Medical and Chirurgical, 3,224/. ; Royal Agricultural Society, 25,340/. 



1879. h h 



