257 
1918-19.] Meetings of the Society. 
presented to it for publication; but since 1914 printing charges have increased 125 per cent., and 
are not likely to diminish, so that the Society is no longer able to carry on this work efficiently. 
During the session ending September 30, 1918, the Council has been compelled to decline papers 
offered to the Society owing to lack of funds available for their publication. This is the more to be 
regretted since one result of the war has been to show the necessity of encouraging original scientific 
research in every possible way. 
The Council, recognising this necessity, now beg to appeal for an increased grant from the 
Treasury to enable the Society to meet the enhanced demands made upon its resources. They 
calculate that an additional sum of £1000 a year will be required in the immediate future, and they 
therefore ask that the Treasury Grant be increased from £600 to £1600. In this connection it may 
be pointed out that the Royal Irish Academy, which occupies the same position in Ireland that the 
Royal Society of Edinburgh occupies in Scotland, receives an annual Government grant of the above 
amount (£1600). Including this grant, it has a total revenue of nearly £2500, of which about £470 is 
spent on the publication of scientific papers, and about £400 on literary researches and publications. 
With a smaller total revenue and a far smaller Government grant, the Royal Society of Edinburgh 
has expended a much larger amount on the publication of scientific researches. In order to maintain, 
and still more to improve, its position as a Society for publishing original scientific research in 
Scotland, an increased grant from the Treasury is essential. 
Royal Society of Edinburgh, 
22 George Street, 
December 30, 1918. 
This Memorandum along with a covering letter was sent to all our Ordinary and Honorary 
Fellows resident in London, also to all the Scottish Members of Parliament. Many cordial replies 
were received, and generous offers made to help the Society in presenting its case to the Chancellor 
of the Exchequer. In due course the Council received the following reply from the Chancellor of 
the Exchequer : — 
Treasury Chambers, 
COPY. Whitehall, S.W., 1, 
22 nd March , 1919. 
Dear Sir, — The Chancellor of the Exchequer desires me to express his regret that he has not been 
in a position to reply at an earlier date to your letter of the 21st January last, asking him to receive 
a deputation from the Royal Society of Edinburgh to urge the increase of the Government grant 
made to them from £600 to £1600 per annum. 
Mr Chamberlain notes that this request is made on account of the increased cost of printing. 
Increased grants have not, however, been given on this ground in other similar cases. 
As regards the comparison with the Royal Irish Academy, he must point out that the grant 
made to them is aid, not merely of their publication of scientific researches, but also of their literary 
activities, such as the publication of Irish manuscripts. It should further be borne in mind that your 
Society’s existing grant is more than proportionate to that assigned to the English Royal Society for 
similar purposes. 
Mr Chamberlain finds that whereas until 1907 the Government grant to the Royal Society of 
Edinburgh was only £300, and was given to cover the rent paid by them, it has since been increased 
to £600, although the Society has been housed free at a cost of £20,000 from funds provided by the 
late Board of Manufactures. 
In these circumstances, and having regard to the present condition of national finance, Mr 
Chamberlain regrets that he cannot propose to Parliament an increase in the grant to the Society at 
the present time, though he would be ready to reconsider the question along with other similar 
claims when the financial situation is more favourable; and he fears that no useful purpose would 
be served by his consenting to receive a deputation on this subject. — Yours faithfully, 
R. P. M. Gower. 
The General Secretary, 
Royal Society of Edinburgh. 
The Council replied to this communication in the following terms : — 
ROYAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 
COPY. 
22 George Street, 
April 8, 1919. 
Sir, — I am instructed by the Council of the Royal Society of Edinburgh to acknowledge the 
receipt of your letter dated March 22. 
The Council regret that you are unable at the present time to propose an increase of the 
Government Grant made to the Society, and especially that.you decline to receive a deputation on 
the subject. 
I am directed by the Council to point out, in reply to the remarks in your letter about the Royal 
Irish Academy, that the Council fail to see any difference in principle between the publication of 
scientific and literary research. 
With regard to the other point mentioned, the amount assigned to the Royal Society of London 
is £1000 for publication and £4000 for direct aid in scientific research. The Royal Society of London 
have, moreover, much larger invested funds to help in their publication of scientific work. The 
Council is, therefore, unable to understand how the existing amount granted to the Royal Society of 
Edinburgh is more than proportionate to that assigned to the English Royal Society for similar 
purposes. I am further instructed to emphasise the fact that the Society spends all its grant on 
research— publication being a necessary part of research— and scientific research is acknowledged to 
be one of the crying needs of the nation. In the meantime all the available funds (for this purpose) 
are exhausted, and valuable work cannot be published for lack of means. 
It should be noted that previously to 1907 the Royal Society of Edinburgh was housed, rent free, 
in one of the finest buildings of the city, on a commanding site in Princes Street, and was provided 
with the present house in place of that of which they were then dispossessed. 
I have the honour to be, sir, your obedient servant, 
C. G. Knott,, 
General Secretary , R.S.E. 
The Rt. Hon. Austen Chamberlain, M.P., 
Treasury Chambers, Whitehall, S.W. 
VOL. XXXIX. 
17 
