764 



countries to continue inquiries without any serious expense. It 

 must be within your cognizance. Gentlemen, that many schemes for 

 alterations in our Society have been of late suggested, or, to speak 

 more correctly, have been hinted at, for nothing distinct or detinite 

 has been proposed, as far as I know. Those who advocate such 

 plans should always remember that the Royal Society is not placed, 

 like the Institute in France, under the protection of the government, 

 nor supported at the public expense. Whether that be a gain or 

 not is not a question lor our consideration, biit for my own part I 

 should be sorry to exchange our independence for any other advan- 

 tage. As however we have to support ourselves, any such extreme 

 restriction of our numbers as should make us a very select body 

 would deprive us of the power of publishing those Transactions, 

 which constitute the main part of our scientific usefulness. Our 

 body consists not only of men of science, but also to a certain extent 

 of literary men, eminent artists and gentlemen of rank and station. 

 I believe that this widening of the basis of our Society is most use- 

 ful to it, and besides serves the important purpose of enlisting in the 

 cause of science those who may patronize and defend, though they 

 do not follow her. 



There are some persons who seem to think that it would be ad- 

 visable for us, not only to be a common link and bond for the other 

 Societies of London, but also actually to unite with them, and thus 

 to form one monster Society. This is certainly an imposing scheme, 

 but I very much doubt its practicability, and still more its advantage 

 to the cause of science itself. I doubt whether any one Society 

 could follow^ out all the ramifications of individual branches of 

 knowledge as they are now^ followed out by the Linnasan, Astrono- 

 mical and Geological Societies. It may however be worth consider- 

 ing whether we might not lend our rooms for the service of some of 

 those Societies that have not convenient places of meeting. This 

 w^e have already done, in some instances, to the Commission on 

 Weights and Measures. Of course, however, nothing of this kind 

 should be done without mature consideration. 



There cannot be a doubt, Gentlemen, that the establishment of 

 separate Societies must have deprived the Philosophical Transac- 

 tions of many papers of great interest ; and this has probably led to 

 the notion that our Society is less flourishing than it was. As, how- 

 ever, I believe that the whole number of scientific papers published 

 in England is increased, and as the object of the Royal Society is, 

 not our own glory, but the improvement of natural knowledge, and 

 the scientific honour of the country, we ought not to regret that 

 valuable communications adorn other Transactions than our own. 

 We ought also the less to regret this circumstance, as most of the 

 principal supporters of other Societies are members of our body also. 

 At the same time w^e may sometimes feel sorry that particular com- 

 munications are not made to us, and we may perhaps think that some 

 of our Fellows are not quite so mindful of us as they should be. 



After filling the honourable office of your President for ten years, I 

 think it is now right to surrender it to some one who has higher 



