1917-18.] 
Meetings of the Society. 
235 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE STATUTORY GENERAL MEETING 
Ending the 135th Session, 1917-1918. 
At the Statutory Meeting of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, held in the Society’s Lecture 
Room, 24 George Street, on Monday, October 28, 1918, at 4.30 p. m., 
Dr A. Crichton Mitchell, Curator of Library, in the Chair, 
the Minutes of the last Statutory Meeting of October 22, 1917, were read, approved, and signed. 
The Chairman nominated as Scrutineers of the Voting Papers, Surgeon-General Bannerman 
and Mr C. H. Milne. 
Before the ballot was taken, Professor Daily, who had been nominated by the Council for 
election as the Society’s representative on the Heriot Trust, explained that since the Council had 
made this recommendation inquiry had shown that there were difficulties of a purely legal kind 
which might prevent him being able to undertake the duties of the Society’s representative. 
While thanking the Council for their expression of confidence, he felt that the simplest course 
was for him to be allowed to withdraw his name and to nominate instead Dr W. A. Tait as one 
well able to represent the Society on this important Trust. 
The ballot for the election of Office-Bearers, Members of Council, and Representative on the 
Heriot Trust was then taken. 
The Secretary submitted the following Report : — 
Mr George Stewart — our Librarian — is still serving in our army as a sergeant in the 4th Royal 
Scots, which, along with the other regiments of the 52nd Division, returned to France during last 
year. Shortly after reaching France, Mr Stewart was invalided home, and obtained his first leave 
since 1915. During his leave he was able to give useful assistance in some rearrangements in 
the library. 
As anticipated last year there has been a considerable falling-off in publication, partly on account 
of the energies of scientific workers being devoted to war purposes, and partly on account of the 
necessity for keeping down our expenses. In view of the probable shortage of papers the Council 
decided to hold meetings once a month only. The number of papers read at our meetings during 
Session 1917-18 amounted to 25, of which 21 have been, or are being, printed in the Proceedings 
and 3 in the Transactions. Of the papers read, 6 were in Mathematics, 4 in Physics, 2 in 
Meteorology, 1 in Botany, 6 in Chemistry, 1 in Geology, 2 in Zoology, and 3 in Physiology. 
There were also two addresses given — one in Astronomy and the other in Meteorology. As 
compared with last year, the most notable difference is in the reduction of Transactions papers, 
which have fallen from 7 to 3. There is practically no change in the number of Proceedings papers, 
but the papers published this Session are on the average much shorter than those published in 
previous years. 
Last March the Society elected 16 new Fellows, and we lost by death and resignation 12 
Ordinary Fellows. There are at this moment 634 Ordinary Fellows on our list. 
Two prizes were awarded during the year — the Keith Prize to Mr R. C. Mossman, and the 
Neill Prize to Professor W. H. Lang. 
It is my duty to draw attention to the James Scott Prize, which has been founded by the 
Trustees of the James Scott Bequest. One of the Trustees — Mr Alexander Philip, writer, 
Brechin — is one of our Fellows. In description of this prize I quote the following excerpt from 
the Minute of the Trustees as transmitted to the Council : — 
“The Trustees have resolved and hereby resolve that a sum of Two Hundred and 
Fifty Pounds sterling, representing approximately the nett accumulated income of the 
said Trust Funds, shall be paid over to the Royal Society of Edinburgh to be held by them 
in trust, subject to the following conditions : — 
“ (a) The said sum of Two Hundred and Fifty Pounds sterling shall be held by them in 
trust as a Trust Fund to be known as the James Scott Fund and to be invested by them 
in name of the Royal Society in trust securities or on deposit receipt with a bank. 
“ (6) The income of the said Trust Fund shall be expended in payment of an honorarium 
or prize, to be known as the James Scott Prize, for a lecture or essay on the fundamental 
concepts of natural philosophy, to be awarded triennially or otherwise in accordance with 
such regulations as the Council of the said Society may from time to time determine. 
