I8S5 ROYAL SOCIETY ADMINISTRATION 



II 9 



which is certainly true, namely, that Clark has just the same 

 claim as half a dozen doctors who have been admitted without 

 question, e.g. Gull, Jenner, Risdon Bennett, on the sole ground 

 of standing in the profession. And I think that so long as that 

 claim is admitted, it will be unjust not to admit Clark. 



So I said what you heard; but I was so careful not to press 

 unduly upon the Council, that I warned them of the possible 

 prejudice arising from my own personal obligations to Clark's 

 skill, and I went so far as not to put his name in the first list 

 myself, a step which I now regret. 



If this is not caution enough, I should like to know what is ? 

 As Clive said when he came back from India, " By God, sir, I 

 am astonished at my own moderation ! " 



If it is not right to make a man a fellow because he holds a 

 first-class place as a practitioner of medicine as the R.S. has 

 done since I have known it, let us abolish the practice. But then 

 let us also in justice refuse to recognise the half-and-half claims, 

 those of the people who are third-rate as practitioners, and hang 

 on to the skirts of science without doing anything in it. 



Several of your and my younger scientific friends are bent 



on bringing in their chum , and Clark's candidature is very 



inconvenient to them. Hence I suspect some of the " outspoken 

 aversion " and criticism of Clark's claims you have heard. 



I am quite willing to sacrifice my friend for a principle, but 

 not for somebody else's friend, and I mean to vote for Clark ; 

 though I am not going to try to force my notion down any one 

 else's throat. — Ever yours faithfully, 



On the same subject he writes to Sir M. Foster : — 



Obedience be hanged. It would not lie in my mouth, as the 

 lawyers say, to object to anybody's getting his own way if 

 he can. 



If Clark had not been a personal friend of mine I should not 

 have hesitated a moment about deciding in his favour. Under 

 the circumstances it was quite clear what I should do if I were 

 forced to decide, and I thought it would have been kindly and 

 courteous to the President if he had been let off the necessity 

 of making a decision which was obviously disagreeable to him. 



If, on the other hand, it was wished to fix the responsibility 

 of what happened on him, I am glad that he had the opportunity 

 of accepting it. I never was more clear as to what was the 

 right thing to do. 



