decline of science in england-第10节

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　holding　office　is　perhaps　more　unfortunate　than　the　circumstance。　　If　I　might　be　permitted　to　allude　for　a　moment　to　his　personal　character；　I　should　say　that　the　mild　excellencies　of　his　heart　have　prevented　the　Royal　Society　from　deriving　the　whole　of　that　advantage　from　his　varied　knowledge　and　liberal　sentiments　which　some　might　perhaps　have　anticipated；　and　many　will　agree　with　me　in　regretting　that　his　judgment　has　not　directed　a　larger　portion　of　the　past　deeds　of　the　Councils　of　the　Royal　Society。　　Of　the　junior　Secretary　I　shall　only　observe；　that　whilst　I　admit　his　industry；　his　perseverance；　and　his　talents；　I　regret　to　see　such　valuable　qualities　exerted　at　a　disadvantage；　and　that　I　sincerely　wish　them　all　the　success　they　merit　in　situations　more　adapted　for　their　developement。

There　are；　however；　some　general　principles　which　it　may　be　important　to　investigate；　which　relate　to　the　future　as　well　as　to　the　past　state　of　the　office　of　Secretary　of　the　Royal　Society。　　Inconvenience　has　already　arisen　from　having　had　at　a　former　period　one　of　our　Secretaries　the　conductor　of　a　scientific　journal；　and　this　is　one　of　the　points　in　which　I　can　agree　with　those　who　now　manage　the　affairs　of　the　Society。　＇These　observations　were　written　previous　to　the　late　appointment；　to　which　I　now　devote　Section　6。　　Experience　seems　to　be　lost　on　the　Council　of　the　Royal　Society。＇　　Perhaps　it　might　be　advantageous　to　extend　the　same　understanding　to　the　other　officers　of　the　Society　at　least；　if　not　to　the　members　of　its　Council。

Another　circumstance　worthy　of　the　attention　of　the　Society　is；　to　consider　whether　it　is　desirable；　except　in　special　cases；　to　have　military　persons　appointed　to　any　of　its　offices。　　There　are　several　peculiarities　in　the　military　character；　which；　though　they　do　not　absolutely　unfit　their　possessors　for　the　individual　prosecution　of　science；　may　in　some　degree　disqualify　such　persons　from　holding　offices　in　scientific　institutions。　　The　habits　both　of　obedience　and　command；　which　are　essential　in　military　life；　are　little　fitted　for　that　perfect　freedom　which　should　reign　in　the　councils　of　science。　　If　a　military　chief　commit　an　oversight　or　an　error；　it　is　necessary；　in　order　to　retain　the　confidence　of　those　he　commands；　to　conceal　or　mask　it　as　much　as　possible。　　If　an　experimentalist　make　a　mistake；　his　only　course　to　win　the　confidence　of　his　fellow…labourers　in　science；　and　to　render　his　future　observations　of　any　use；　is　to　acknowledge　it　in　the　most　full　and　explicit　manner。　　The　very　qualifications　which　contribute　to　the　professional　excellence　of　the　soldier；　constitute　his　defects　when　he　enters　the　paths　of　science；　and　it　is　only　in　those　rare　cases　where　the　force　of　genius　is　able　to　control　and　surmount　these　habits；　that　his　admission　to　the　offices　of　science　can　be　attended　with　any　advantage　to　it。

Another　objection　deserving　notice；　although　not　applying　exclusively　to　the　military　profession；　is；　that　persons　not　imbued　with　the　feelings　of　men　of　science；　when　they　have　published　their　observations；　are　too　apt　to　view　every　criticism　upon　them　as　a　personal　question；　and　to　consider　that　it　is　as　offensive　to　doubt　the　accuracy　of　their　observations　as　it　is　to　doubt　their　word。　　Nothing　can　be　more　injurious　to　science　than　that　such　an　opinion　should　be　tolerated。　　The　most　unreserved　criticism　is　necessary　for　truth；　and　those　suspicions　respecting　his　own　accuracy；　which　every　philosophical　experimenter　will　entertain　concerning　his　own　researches；　ought　never　to　be　considered　as　a　reproach；　when　they　are　kept　in　view　in　examining　the　experiments　of　others。　　The　minute　circumstances　and　apparently　trivial　causes　which　lend　their　influence　towards　error；　even　in　persons　of　the　most　candid　judgment；　are　amongst　the　most　curious　phenomena　of　the　human　mind。

The　importance　of　affording　every　aid　to　enable　others　to　try　the　merits　of　observations；　has　been　so　well　expressed　by　Mayer；　that　I　shall　conclude　these　remarks　with　an　extract　from　the　Preface　to　his　Observations：

〃Officii　enim　cujusque　observatoris　ease　reor；　de　habitu　instrumenti　sui；　de　cura　ac　precautione；　qua　usus　est；　ad　illud　recte　tractandum；　deque　mediis　in　errores　ejus　inquirendi　rationem　reddere　publice；　ut　aliis　quoque　copia　sit　judicandi；　quanta　fides　habenda　conclusionibus　ex　nostris　observationibus　deductis　aut　deducendis。　　Hoc　cum　minus　fecissent　precedentis　saeculi　astronomi；　praxin　nimis　secure；　nimisque　theoretice　tractantes；　factum　inde　potissimum　est；　ut　illorum　observationes　tot　vigiliis　tantoque　labore　comparatae　tam　cito　obsoleverint。〃　P。　viii。

There　are　certain　duties　which　the　Royal　Society　owes　to　its　own　character　as　well　as　to　the　public；　which；　having　been　on　some　occasions　apparently　neglected；　it　may　be　here　the　proper　place　to　mention；　since　it　is　reasonable　to　suppose　that　attention　to　them　is　within　the　province　of　its　Secretaries。

The　first　to　which　I　shall　allude　is　the　singular　circumstances　attending　the　fact　of　the　Royal　Society　having　printed　a　volume　of　Astronomical　Observations　which　were　made　at　the　Observatory　of　Paramatta　（New　South　Wales）；　bearing　the　title　of　〃The　Third　Part　of　the　Philosophical　Transactions　for　the　Year　1829。〃

Now　this　Observatory　was　founded　at　the　private　expense　of　a　British　officer；　the　instruments　were　paid　for　out　of　his　purse；　two　observers　were　brought　from　Europe；　to　be　employed　in　making　use　of　those　instruments；　at　salaries　defrayed　by　him。　　A　considerable　portion　of　the　observations　so　printed　were　made　by　these　astronomers　during　their　employment　in　his　service；　and　some　of　them　are　personally　his　own。　　Yet　has　the　Royal　Society；　in　adopting　them　as　part　of　its　Transactions；　omitted　all　mention；　either　in　their　title…page；　preface；　or　in　any　part　of　the　volume；　of　the　FACT　that　the　world　owed　these　valuable　observations　to　the　enlightened　munificence　of　Lieutenant…General　Sir　Thomas　Brisbane；　whose　ardent　zeal　in　the　pursuit　of　science　induced　him　to　found；　at　his　own　private　expense；　an　establishment　which　it　has　been　creditable　to　the　British　Government　to　continue　as　a　national　institution。　　Had　any　kindred　feelings　existed　in　the　Council；　instead　of　endeavouring　to　shift　the　responsibility；　they　would　have　hastened　to　rectify　an　omission；　less　unjust　to　the　individual　than　it　was　injurious　to　English　science。

Another　topic；　which　concerns　most　vitally　the　character　and　integrity　of　the　Royal　Society；　I　hardly　know　how　to　approach。　It　has　been　publicly　stated　that　confidence　cannot　be　placed　in　the　written　minutes　of　the　Society；　and　an　instance　has　been　adduced；　in　which　an　entry　has　been　asserted　to　have　been　made；　which　could　not　have　been　the　true　statement　of　what　actually　passed　at　the　Council。

The　facts　on　which　the　specific　instance　rests　are　not　difficult　to　verify　by　members　of　the　Royal　Society。　　I　have　examined　them；　and　shall　state　them　before　I　enter　on　the　reasoning　which　may　be　founded　upon　them。　　In　the　minutes　of　the　Council；　26th　November；　1829；　we　find

〃Resolved；　that　the　following　gentlemen　be　recommended　to　be　put　upon　the　Council　for　the　ensuing　year。〃　　＇Here　follows　a　list　of　persons；　amongst　whom　the　name　of　Sir　John　Franklin　occurs　　＇Sir　John　Franklin　was　absent　from　London；　and　altogether　unacquainted　with　this　transaction；　until　he　saw　it　stated　in　the　newspapers　some　months　after　it　had　taken　place。　　That　his　name　was　the　one　substituted　for　that　of　Captain　Beaufort　I　know；　from　other　evidence　which　need　not　be　produced　here；　as　the　omission　of　the　latter　name　is　the　charge　that　has　been　made。＇；　and　that　of　Captain　Beaufort　is　not　found。　　＇Any　gentleman　may　satisfy　himself　that　this　is　not　a　mistake　of　the　Assistant　Secretary's；　in　copying；　by　consulting　the　rough　minutes　of　that　meeting　of　the　Council；　which　it　might　perhaps　be　as　well　to　write　in　a　rough　minute…book；　instead　of　upon　loose　sheets　of　paper；　nor　can　it　be　attributed　to　any　error　arising　from　accidentally　mislaying　the　real　minutes；　for　in　that　case　the　error　would　have　been　rectified　immediately　it　was　detected；　and　this　has　remained　uncorrected；　although　publicly　spoken　of　for　months。　　As　there　is　no　erasure　in　the　list；　one　is　reluctantly　compelled　to　conjecture　that　the　real　minutes　of　that　meeting　have　been　destroyed。＇＇

Now　this　could　not　be　the　list　actually　recommended　by　the　Council　on　the　morning　of　the　26th　of　November；　because　the　President　himself；　on　the　evening　of　that　day；　informed　Capt。　Beaufort　that　he　was　placed　on　the　house　list；　and　that　officer；　with　the　characteristic　openness　of　his　profession；　wrote　on　the　next　or　the　following　day　to　the　President；　declining　that　situation；　and　stating　his　reasons　for　the　step。

Upon　the　fact；　therefore；　of　the　suppression　of　part　of　a　resolution　of　the　Council；　on　the　26th　of　November；　there　can　be　no　doubt；　but　in　order　to　understand　the　whole　nature　of　the　transaction；　other　information　is　necessary。　　It　has　been　the　wish　of　many　members　of　the　Society；　that　the　President　should　not　absolutely　name　his　own　Council；　but　that　the　subject　should　be　discussed　fairly　at　the　meeting　previous　to　the　Anniversary　this　has　always　been　opposed　by　Mr。　Gilbert；　and　those　who