i88o.] Report on Scientific Societies . 487 
the public in a manner to ensure the attention of men of 
science, that he absolutely went out of his mind. . . . In 
the same way many a promising suggestion happens to be 
advanced by persons who have either not the leisure, the 
convenience, or the instruments to verify it by experiment, 
and is therefore totally disregarded ” — or else dishonestly 
appropriated by unscrupulous persons, to the detriment of 
the discoverer, and thus indirectly of Science itself. 
Starting from these principles, and considering that the 
universities are chiefly engaged in the general tuition of 
Science, while the kindred institutions mainly aim at its 
popular diffusion , I believe there is room for the creation of 
an establishment the objeCt of which shall be the special 
advancement of Science, both by instruction and research. 
The inner organisation and outer relations of this establish- 
ment, which, for brevity’s sake, I will call the Royal 
College, I think should be based upon the following founda- 
tions and governed by the following rules : — The members 
of the college should consist of probationers, fellows, deans, 
and president or master. As probationer any person should 
be admitted who could satisfy the council of any chartered 
scientific society, under the restriction to be later apparent, 
of his willingness and capacity for scientific work in the de- 
partment being of such society’s competency. After the 
lapse of one year, and on presentation of a report by the 
competent dean to the council of the Royal Society, which 
shall be judged by it satisfactory, the probationer will be 
admitted as a fellow into the college. During his stage of 
probation, the person introduced to the college by any 
society shall have his expenses for apparatus, &c., defrayed 
by such society (as also his personal expenses, if the society 
be so inclined) ; on being, however, admitted a fellow, he 
shall be both personally maintained and furnished with all 
necessary requisites for work at the cost of the college. As 
deans shall be elected such of the fellows of at least three 
years’ standing as by their labours in the latter capacity 
shall have given most satisfaction to the council of the 
British Association, that shall be enabled to take cognisance 
of each fellow’s work ; it being understood that both the 
councils, that of the Royal Society above mentioned as well 
as that of the British Association, shall have been so con- 
stituted as stated in my former letter. Fellows should be 
nominated for three years, but capable of re-appointment ; 
and the deans also, each of whom shall represent, singly, 
one distinct department of science, should be elected for the 
same term, but not be capable of re-ele( 5 tion, the functions 
