1871.] -4 Page of Scientific History. 149 



to a more convenient and permanent habitation for the 

 college. 



Encouraged by the promises of support they had received, 

 and backed by the guarantee of several noblemen and 

 gentlemen, the council took premises in Hanover Square. 

 This site not only possessed the advantages of a good and 

 ostensible position, affording all necessary accommodation 

 for the official purposes of the college, the residence of the 

 professor and secretary, and the meetings of the members, 

 but supplied the desideratum of a large piece of ground, 

 with a frontage in Oxford Street, whereon convenient and 

 well arranged laboratories could be erected. 



To the construction of these laboratories the most 

 anxious consideration of the council was next directed. 

 After lengthened consultations with their architect, Mr. 

 James Lockyer, a plan was ultimately adopted to which all 

 the parties concerned had given their adhesion, and on the 

 16th of June, 1846, the council had the gratification of 

 seeing the first stone of the building laid by H.R.H. Prince 

 Albert, who had never ceased to lend his most cordial support 

 to the new establishment. In the short period of three 

 months the new building was completed, so that as early 

 as October, the operations of the school, to which in the 

 meantime the patronage of the Prince had procured the title 

 of the Royal College of Chemistry, could be commenced 

 in the new premises. 



As might have been expected, in the endeavour to 

 institute such an establishment as the Royal College of 

 Chemistry, serious outlay had been unavoidable. Here the 

 difficulty of the task commenced. In building the labora- 

 tories and furnishing them with the necessary apparatus, 

 the responsibility of a heavy debt was incurred. A building 

 fund had been opened for this purpose, and contributions at 

 first flowed in with great liberality, but long before the 

 buildings were completed the current slackened, and at last 

 a debt of £2000 remained, without apparent means of 

 defraying it. The pressing demand was met by the noble 

 generosity of the council, who, by a pro rata contribution 

 among themselves, succeeded in extinguishing this heavy 

 debt. But this effort was by no means sufficient to clear the 

 difficulties. It was found that the ordinary expenditure of 

 the institution exceeded, and, indeed, very considerably 

 exceeded, its income. The annual subscriptions declined, 

 and notwithstanding the constantly increasing receipts from 

 the fees of the students, the council of the college became 

 more and more embarrassed for the means necessary to 



