306 
Proceedings of the Pioyal Society 
client that the hoard intrusted with the expenditure in Scotland 
should be in Edinburgh rather than in London, is it not also a slur 
on Scotch scientific societies that they should be altogether ignored, 
and a London society selected, as if the former were unworthy, 
or could not be trusted ? 
I therefore regret this system of centralisation in London, and 
cannot help thinking that our Society ought not so tacitly to 
acquiesce in it. In one of his addresses from this chair, Sir 
David Brewster, in alluding to the annual grant of L.1000, as well 
as the two royal medals, placed at the disposal of the Boyal 
Society of London, expressed his belief “ that an earnest repre¬ 
sentation made to the G-overnment would obtain for us a similar, 
though probably a smaller grant; ” and it humbly appears to me 
that such a representation ought to he made without farther delay. 
The expediency of energetic action on our part is more manifest 
because of a proposal made lately in an influential quarter to 
enlarge the amount of the grant to the Boyal Society of London. 
Professor Balfour Stewart a few weeks ago, at the inauguration of 
Owen’s College, Manchester, in his opening address there, made 
the following remarks : — 
“ If Government he disposed to grant pecuniary aid to physical researches, 
an extension of the allowance made annually to the Government Grant Com¬ 
mittee of the Boyal Society, would be a very legitimate way of accomplishing 
this object. USTo one can doubt that the small sum of L.1000 annually intrusted 
by Government to that Society for miscellaneous experiments is administered 
in a praiseworthy manner ; and if the Government would be ready to grant, 
and the Royal Society willing to undertake, an extension of this trust, it would 
be a great point gained.”* 
This suggestion will no doubt obtain consideration from the 
Boyal Commissioners appointed to report whether the State now 
gives enough for the encouragement of science. All or most of 
these commissioners are Fellows of the Boyal Society of London, 
and two of them are office-bearers of the Society. A fairer selec¬ 
tion of eminent men for the object in view could not have been 
made; and though none of them are Fellows of the Boyal Society 
of Edinburgh, I am sure that they will not on that account he less 
* Lieutenant-Colonel Strange, an influential member of the British Associa¬ 
tion, sends a letter to “ Nature ,” Nov. 3, 1870, in which lie adverts to Pro¬ 
fessor Balfour Stewart’s idea of enlarging the grant of L.1000 administered 
by the Royal Society of London, and expresses cordial concurrence. 
