﻿1874.] 
  

  

  President's 
  Address. 
  

  

  67 
  

  

  discovery 
  in 
  Chemistry 
  made 
  in 
  Europe 
  or 
  Anglo- 
  America. 
  The 
  history 
  

   of 
  this 
  medal 
  is 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Our 
  former 
  illustrious 
  President, 
  Sir 
  Humphry 
  Davy, 
  was 
  presented 
  

   by 
  the 
  coal-owners 
  of 
  this 
  country 
  with 
  a 
  service 
  of 
  plate, 
  for 
  which 
  

   they 
  subscribed 
  £2500, 
  in 
  recognition 
  of 
  his 
  merits 
  as 
  inventor 
  of 
  the 
  

   Safety 
  Lamp. 
  In 
  a 
  codicil 
  to 
  his 
  will 
  Sir 
  Humphry 
  left 
  this 
  service 
  

   of 
  plate 
  to 
  Lady 
  Davy 
  for 
  her 
  use 
  during 
  her 
  life, 
  with 
  instructions 
  

   that 
  after 
  her 
  death 
  it 
  should 
  pass 
  to 
  other 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  family, 
  

   with 
  the 
  proviso 
  that, 
  should 
  they 
  not 
  be 
  in 
  a 
  situation 
  to 
  use 
  or 
  enjoy 
  

   it, 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  melted 
  and 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  Royal 
  Society, 
  to 
  found 
  a 
  Medal 
  

   to 
  be 
  awarded 
  annually 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  discovery 
  in 
  Chemistry, 
  

   anywhere 
  made 
  in 
  Europe 
  or 
  Anglo- 
  America. 
  

  

  On 
  Sir 
  Humphry's 
  death 
  the 
  service 
  of 
  plate 
  became 
  the 
  property 
  of 
  

   his 
  brother, 
  Dr. 
  John 
  Davy, 
  E.R.S., 
  who, 
  in 
  fulfilment 
  of 
  Sir 
  Humphry's 
  

   intentions, 
  bequeathed 
  it 
  after 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  his 
  widow, 
  or 
  before 
  if 
  she 
  

   thought 
  proper, 
  to 
  the 
  Royal 
  Society, 
  to 
  be 
  applied 
  as 
  aforesaid. 
  On 
  the 
  

   death 
  of 
  Mrs. 
  Davy 
  the 
  plate 
  was 
  transferred 
  to 
  the 
  custody 
  of 
  your 
  

   Treasurer, 
  and, 
  having 
  been 
  melted 
  and 
  sold, 
  realized 
  <£736 
  8s. 
  5d., 
  which 
  

   is 
  invested 
  in 
  Madras 
  guaranteed 
  railway 
  stock, 
  as 
  set 
  forth 
  in 
  the 
  

   Treasurer's 
  balance-sheet. 
  The 
  legacy 
  duty 
  was 
  repaid 
  to 
  the 
  Society 
  by 
  

   the 
  liberality 
  of 
  the 
  Rev. 
  A. 
  Davy 
  and 
  Mrs. 
  Rolleston. 
  

  

  The 
  style 
  and 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  medal, 
  and 
  the 
  steps 
  to 
  be 
  taken 
  in 
  reference 
  

   to 
  its 
  future 
  award, 
  are 
  now 
  under 
  the 
  consideration 
  of 
  the 
  Council, 
  and 
  

   will, 
  I 
  hope, 
  be 
  laid 
  before 
  you 
  on 
  the 
  next 
  Anniversary. 
  The 
  accept- 
  

   ance 
  of 
  the 
  trust 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  decided 
  upon 
  without 
  long 
  and 
  careful 
  deli- 
  

   beration, 
  nor 
  without 
  raising 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  the 
  expediency 
  of 
  recognizing 
  

   scientific 
  services 
  and 
  discoveries 
  by 
  such 
  trivial 
  awards 
  as 
  medals, 
  and 
  

   of 
  the 
  extent 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  awards 
  entrusted 
  to 
  our 
  Society 
  are 
  depreciated 
  

   by 
  their 
  multiplication. 
  My 
  own 
  opinion 
  has 
  long 
  been 
  that 
  some 
  more 
  

   satisfactory 
  way 
  of 
  recognizing 
  distinguished 
  merit 
  than 
  by 
  the 
  presenta- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  a 
  medal 
  might 
  be 
  devised, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  award 
  might 
  take 
  a 
  form 
  

   which 
  would 
  convey 
  to 
  the 
  public 
  a 
  more 
  prominent 
  and 
  a 
  more 
  permanent 
  

   record 
  of 
  the 
  services 
  of 
  the 
  recipients, 
  such 
  as 
  a 
  bust 
  or 
  a 
  portrait 
  to 
  be 
  

   hung 
  on 
  our 
  walls, 
  or 
  a 
  profile 
  or 
  a 
  record 
  of 
  the 
  discovery 
  to 
  be 
  engraved 
  

   on 
  the 
  medal, 
  which 
  might 
  be 
  multiplied 
  for 
  distribution 
  or 
  sale 
  to 
  Eellows 
  

   and 
  to 
  foreign 
  Academies. 
  In 
  short, 
  I 
  consider 
  awards 
  of 
  medals 
  without 
  

   distinctive 
  features 
  to 
  be 
  anachronisms 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  their 
  purpose, 
  not 
  their 
  value, 
  

   which 
  should 
  be 
  well 
  marked 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  question 
  is, 
  whether 
  that 
  purpose 
  

   is 
  well 
  answered 
  by 
  their 
  being 
  continued 
  under 
  the 
  present 
  form. 
  

  

  Instruments. 
  — 
  The 
  small 
  but 
  remarkable 
  and, 
  indeed, 
  classical 
  collection 
  

   of 
  instruments 
  and 
  apparatus 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  Society, 
  and 
  for 
  which 
  

   there 
  was 
  no 
  accommodation 
  in 
  old 
  Burlington 
  House, 
  was, 
  on 
  our 
  

   migration 
  from 
  Somerset 
  House 
  in 
  1857, 
  by 
  order 
  of 
  the 
  Council, 
  depo- 
  

   sited 
  in 
  the 
  Observatory 
  in 
  the 
  Kew 
  Deer-Park, 
  near 
  Richmond, 
  then 
  

   under 
  the 
  control 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  Association. 
  

  

  r2 
  

  

  