380 



Anniversary Meeting. 



[Nov. 30, 



M. Chevreul, attained his hundredth year. Rarely indeed is it given 

 to anyone to see right through a century, more rarely still to retain 

 his powers to such an age, yet both, I am happy to say, have been 

 granted to M. Chevrenl. In anticipation of this event, preparations 

 were made for its due celebration. 1 received an invitation for our 

 Fellows to assist at the celebration ; bnt unfortunately it was at a 

 time of year when most of us were scattered, and moreover time did 

 not permit of making it generally known. I am afraid we had no 

 representative at the actual ceremonial, but I am sure that none the 

 less our hearts were with the veteran savant. 



This year Las also witnessed the celebration of the 250th anni- 

 versary of the University of Heidelberg. The -Council had appointed 

 our Foreign Secretary as a deputation to represent the Society on the 

 occasion. Unfortunately when the time was close at hand, Dr. 

 Williamson was prevented by the condition of his health from taking 

 part in the celebration ; but acting on the emergency on behalf of 

 the Society, I requested our Fellow. Sir Henry Roscoe, to take his 

 place, which he was so good as to do. 



In his Presidential Address last year Professor Huxley suggested 

 the idea, I may say expressed the hope, that the Royal Society might 

 associate itself in some special way with all English-speaking men of 

 science; that it might recognise their work in other ways than those 

 afforded by the rare opportunities of election to our foreign member- 

 ship, or the award of those medals which are open to persons of all 

 nationalities alike. This suggestion has been taken up in one of our 

 Colonies. We have received a letter from the Royal Society of Vic- 

 toria, referring to this passage in the Address, -and expressing a hope 

 that in some way means might be found for establishing some kind of 

 connexion between our own oldest scientific Society and those of the 

 Colonies. 



The Council have appointed a Committee to take this letter into 

 consideration, and try if they could devise some suitable plan for 

 carrying out the object sought. The Committee endeavoured at first 

 to frame a scheme which should not be confined to the Colonies and 

 Dependencies of the British Empire, but should embrace all English- 

 speaking communities. Bnt closely connected as we are with the 

 United States by blood and language, they are of conrse politically a 

 foreign nation, and this fact threw difficulties in the way of framing 

 at once a more extended scheme, so that the Committee confined 

 themselves to the Colonies and Dependencies of our own county, 

 leaving the wider object for some future endeavour, should the 

 country concerned seem to desire it. The scheme suggested was laid 

 before the members of the present Council, but there was not an 

 adequate opportunity of discussing it, and it will of course come 

 before the new Council. Should they approve of some such measures 



