SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



J 95 



THE NOBEL BEQUEST. 



THE Nobel bequest, to which we referred last 

 month {ante, p. 164), has for its object the 

 ■encouragement of research in the departments of 

 physical, chemical, and physiological or medical 

 sciences, the advancement of literature, and the 

 promotion of universal peace. For this purpose 

 Dr. Bernhard Nobel left part of his fortune, to be 

 placed by his executors in safe investments. The 

 interest is to be used for founding prizes for essays 

 or inventions connected with those subjects. It is 

 worthy of note that by the terms of the will, prizes 

 are to be awarded, not necessarily to those who 

 have made the greatest discoveries, but to those 

 who in each branch have rendered the greatest 

 service to humanity. The prizes are to be given 

 at least once in every five years, commencing with 

 the year immediately following the commencement 

 of the Nobel endowment. The sum-total of a 

 prize is in no case to be less than 60 per cent, of 

 the part of the yearly revenues set apart for the 

 distribution of the prizes ; neither is it to be 

 divided into more than three awards. 



The decision as to the prizes is to be in the 

 hands of the following bodies : — That for physical 

 science and chemistry is to be awarded by the 

 Academy of Sciences of Sweden ; for physiology 

 •or medicine, by the Carolin Institute of Stockholm ; 

 for literature, by the Academy of Stockholm ; and 

 for the work of peace, by a commission consisting 

 of five members to be elected by the Norwegian 

 Stortung. The term " literature " is intended to 

 include, not only purely literary works, but all 

 writings having, by their form and style, a literary 

 value. This prize can be divided equally between 

 two works, if each is judged to have merited the 

 prize. If, however, the selected work is the pro- 

 duct of two or more persons, the prize shall be 

 given in common. 



After the approval of the King of Sweden has 

 been obtained for the statute of endowment, the 

 corporations will nominate the stipulated number 

 of representatives, who will then assemble at 

 Stockholm to elect the board of administration, 

 the members of which will undertake the manage- 

 ment of the endowment fund. This will occur 

 early next year. The first distribution of prizes 

 for all sections will, if possible, take place in 1901. 

 From the endowment fund the following sums will 

 be deducted, £16,000 for each section — that is, 

 £80,000 in all. This, with the interest dating 

 from January 1st, 1900, shall serve to furnish the 

 expenses of the organisation of the Nobel institutes. 

 In addition, a further sum, to be fixed by the 

 Council of Administration, shall be utilised for the 

 acquisition of a special site for the administration 

 of the endowment, including a hall for its meetings. 



Each candidate for a Nobel prize must be pro- 



posed in writing by some one qualified to make 

 such proposal. Those having such rights of pre- 

 sentation are : (1) native and foreign members of 

 the Koyal Academy of Sciences ; (2) member- 

 the Nobel committees for natural philosophy and 

 chemistry; (3) professors who have received tin: 

 Nobel prize of the Academy of Science ; (4) 

 ordinary and extraordinary professors of natural 

 sciences and chemistryin the universities of Upsala, 

 Lund, Christiania, Copenhagen, and Helsingfors, 

 in the Carolin Institute for Medicine and Surgery, 

 the superior technical Royal School, and also 

 the professors of the same sciences in the superior 

 school at Stockholm ; (5) occupants of corresponding 

 chairs in at least six universities or high schools 

 which the Academy of Sciences will select, taking 

 care to divide them suitably between the different 

 countries and their universities; (6) the savants 

 to whom the Academy shall decide to send an 

 invitation to this effect. 



The choice of the professors and savants men- 

 tioned in numbers 5 and 6 shall be decided in the 

 month of September in each year. Proposals for 

 the prizes must be made before February 1st of 

 the following year. They are to be classified by 

 the Nobel Committee, and submitted to the College 

 of Professors. The College of Professors will decide 

 definitely on the distribution of the prize during 

 October. The vote will be taken in secret, and, if 

 necessary, the question may be decided by drawing 

 lots. 



The endowment is to be directed by an Adminis- 

 trative Council which will have its seat at Stock- 

 holm, and is to be composed of five Swedish 

 members, of whom one, who shall be the President, 

 is to be nominated by the King, and the others are to 

 be chosen by the representatives of the corporations. 

 The Council shall choose from among itself a 

 Director-General. Corporations having the right in 

 nominate candidates for the prizes shall appoint 

 for two civil years at a time fifteen representativ, -. 

 six of whom shall be chosen by the Academy of 

 Sciences, and three by each other corporation. 

 Further, the Academy of Sciences shall nominate 

 four, and other corporations two candidates, to 

 take the place of any representative, in ease of 

 obstacle to prevent his attendance. 



The management and accounts of the Council of 

 Administration are to be examined each year by 

 five revisers, four to be chosen by the corporations 

 before the end of the year, the fifth, who will be the 

 President, to be nominated by the King. The 

 report of the revisers is to be presented to tin- 

 representatives of the corporations before April 1st 

 in each year, after which it is to be published 

 in the newspapers, together with an account of 

 the work done. 



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