Decembbr 19, 1902.] 



SCIENCE. 



975 



honor, awarding him the Copley medal. 

 France lost in Alfred Cornu one of the 

 most distinguished of her men of science. 

 Possessed of rare perspicacity of intellect 

 and of resourcefulness in experiment, by 

 his numerous researches, especially in the 

 domain of optics, he had won no mean 

 place as an original contributor to science. 

 On his part, Mme. Cornu wrote in a private 

 letter that he especially appreciated and 

 reciprocated the friendship and sympathy 

 of his English colleagues. Cornu was born 

 in 1841; he was elected a foreign member 

 of this Society in 1884; he received the 

 honorary degree of Doctor of Science from 

 the University of Cambridge in 1899 ; and 

 died, in the spring of this year, mourned 

 and deeply regretted by the whole scien- 

 tific world. It was with deep regret that 

 he recorded the loss which the Society had 

 sustained by the decease of Sir Frederick 

 Abel, who held for many years a conspicu- 

 ous position in the world of science, and 

 in public life, in connection with technical 

 education and the Imperial Institute. His 

 services were recognized by a baronetcy, 

 by K.C.B., and by the G.C.V.O. In 1887 

 he was awarded a Royal medal by^ the 

 Council. They had also to record with 

 sorrow the death of Sir Henry Gilbert, the 

 fellow-worker with the late Sir John Ben- 

 net Lawes in the famous agricultural ex- 

 periments carried on for a long series of 

 years by them at Rothamsted. Dr. Glad- 

 stone's work was remarkable for its varied 

 nature, and he was among the first to labor 

 in the borderland between chemistry and 

 physics. He was awarded the Davy medal 

 in 1897. He was the first president of the 

 Physical Society, and later president of the 

 Chemical Society, and he served on two 

 Royal Commissions. 



After referring to the King's illness and 

 the special sympathy felt by the Society on 

 account of his Majesty's close relationship 

 vnth them as a former Fellow and now 



their patron, their deep joy on his re- 

 covery, and their satisfaction on the coro- 

 nation of the King and Queen, the presi- 

 dent said that the Prince of Wales, who 

 was elected a Fellow eight years ago, was 

 pleased to attend the ordinary meeting of 

 the Society on February 6 for the purpose 

 of being foi'mally admitted into the So- 

 ciety, introduced by Lord Salisbury, then 

 Prime Minister. On that occasion the 

 Prince said: "I am indeed proud that my 

 name should be added to those on your il- 

 lustrious roll, which has been inscribed by 

 nearly every sovereign since the reign of 

 Charles II. and by all of the most distin- 

 guished men of science since those days. 

 I can assure you of my hearty sympathy 

 with that scientific study and " research 

 which now, more than ever, has become so 

 important and essential in our national 

 life." They bade a hearty welcome to the 

 new society which had recently received a 

 royal charter for the organization and pro- 

 motion of those branches of learning which, 

 in foreign academies, were usually included 

 in the philosophico-historical section. This 

 new body, under its adopted title of 'The 

 British Academy for the Promotion of His- 

 torical, Philosophical and Philological 

 Studies,' would, they sincerely trusted, 

 take a worthy place by the side of the older 

 and very distinguished institutions, the 

 Royal Society and the Royal Academy, in 

 representing the intellectual activities of 

 the kingdom, though, in accordance with 

 the sentiments and habits of the national 

 character, each society retained its com- 

 plete independence, and was in no way sub- 

 servient to the state. The present council 

 having reaiBrmed the view taken by the 

 council of last year, that it would not be 

 desirable to attempt to include the studies 

 undertaken by the newly-formed body as 

 an integral part of the work of the Royal 

 Society, they might rejoice that they would 

 now be cared for by an independent so- 



