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SCIENCE 



[Vol. XVII. No. 427 



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THE CHEMICAL SOCIETY'S JUBILEES 



At the meeting in celebration of the jubilee of the Chem- 

 ical Society, held in the theatre of the London University on 

 Tuesday, Feb. 24, 1891, the proceedings were opened by the 

 following address from the president, Dr. W. J. Russell : — 



We meet to-day to celebrate the fifty years' existence of 

 our society, — a time, if measured by the progress which our 

 science has made, equal to centuries of former ages, but 

 which in years is so brief a space that we have, I am happy 

 to say, with us to-day some of those who were present, and 

 who took an active part in the foundation of the society; 

 and I need hardly say with how much interest we shall lis- 

 ten to their reminiscences of the time and circumstances 

 connected with the birth of our society. 



I would, by way of introduction, say a few words flrst 

 with regard to our society, and afterwards with regard to 

 the state of chemistry in England when our society was 

 founded. We boast, and I believe rightly, that our society 

 holds the distinguished position of being the first which was 

 formed solely for the study of chemistry. Chemistry and 

 physics, twin sisters, had hitherto always dwelt together; 

 and many were the societies, both in this country and 

 abroad, devoted to their joint study and development. 



In London there was the Royal Society, which had hith- 

 erto received the most important chemical papers; there was 

 also the Society of Arts, which is a hundred and ten years, 

 and the British Association, which is ten years, senior of our 

 society. In Manchester the Literary and Philosophical So- 

 ciety had been founded and actively at work since 1781; and 

 we admit that our neighbors at Burlington House, the As- 

 tronomical, Antiquarian, Linnean, and Gfeological Societies, 

 are all our seniors. They had a distinct individuality and 

 literature of their own, which called them into existence 

 some forty to eighty years before the commencement of our 

 society. , Small private chemical societies, no doubt, existed: 

 they are the natural forerunners of a large society, and be- 

 come merged into it. The Chemical Section of the British 

 Association, which is an ephemeral and peripatetic chemical 

 society, had existed from the founding of that body. If we 

 turn to other countries, we find that, much as our science 

 had been cultivated on the continent, it did not until later 



' From Nature. 



times engross a whole society to itself; the French Chemical 

 Society hot having been formed until 1857, and the now 

 great Berlin Chemical Society not until 1868. Our interest, 

 however, at the moment is rather in the growth of chemistry 

 in this country than in what occurred elsewhere. 



To-day we may learn how it came about that the first 

 chemical society was established in England. I may, how- 

 ever, state that the reason for our meeting depends on the 

 official record that on Feb. 23, 1841, twenty-five gentlemen 

 "interested in the prosecution of chemistry" met together 

 at the Society of Arts to consider whether it be expedient to 

 form a chemical society. Of the twenty-five who then met, 

 I am happy to say three are present, — Sir W. Grove, Sir 

 L. Playfair, and Mr. Heisch ; and Mr. J. Cock is another of 

 this band who is still alive, but is not present. 



These twenty-five gentlemen appear without dissent to 

 have come to the conclusion that it was expedient to form a 

 chemical society, and appointed a committee of fourteen to 

 carry this resolution into effect. So expeditious were they 

 in their work, that in little more than a month the first gen- 

 eral meeting was held, and the provisional committee 

 brought forward a report embodying a plan for the constitu- 

 tion and government of the society; and this plan remains 

 essentially the same, save in one point, to the present day. 

 I refer to the formation of a museum of chemical specimens. 

 This project was abandoned some years ago. It is worth 

 recording that at this first general meeting Thomas Graham 

 was elected president; Messrs. W. T. Brande, J. T. Cooper, 

 J. F. Daniel], R. Phillips, vice-presidents; Mr. Arthur Aikin, 

 treasurer; Messrs. Robert Warington, E. F. Teschemacher, 

 secretaries; council, Dr. T. Clarke, Rev. J. Cumming, Dr. 

 C. Daubeny, Messrs. T. Everitt, T. Griffitlis, W. R. Grove, 

 H. Hennell. G. Lowe, V\^. H. Miller, W. H. Pepys, R. Por- 

 rett. Dr. G. O. Rees; also that the society then numbered 

 seventy-seven members. We hail Sir W. Grove as being 

 the most active member who is still among us in founding 

 our society, for he was a member of the first council, was 

 present at the first meeting, and was a member of the pro- 

 visional committee. I must here add to the official record, 

 for it does not tell us how these twenty-five gentlemen "in- 

 terested in the prosecution of chemistry " were collected 

 together at one time and place. Obviously some special 

 force was required to build up this complicated molecule. 

 That special force was embodied in and exercised by Robert 

 Warington. By his activity and energy he brought about 

 this meeting; and we can imagine how difficult and trouble- 

 some a work it probably was, how some of these gentlemen 

 had to be instigated to action, others repressed, some con- 

 vinced that the aim was desirable, others that it was feasible. 

 But whatever the difficulties were, Mr. Warington succeeded, 

 and to him we are indebted for the formation of our society. 

 Although he has passed away, he is ably represented here 

 to-day by his son. The love for the Chemical Society has 

 proved to be hereditary. Mr. Warington of to day is a most 

 active and valued member, is one of our vice-presidents, and. 

 as our programme shows, is about to present to us records 

 connected with the early history of our society which are of 

 great interest now, and will become of increasing value as. 

 time goes on. 



I turn now at once from these matters immediately con 

 nected with our society to the consideration of what was 

 being done in chemistry in this country fifty years ago. At 

 that time public laboratories for the systematic teaching ot" 

 chemistry did not exist in London. The number of real 

 students of chemistry in this coun'ry was very small. They 



