decline of science in england-第16节

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MR。　PONDAstronomer　Royal；　Inspector　of　Chronometers；　and　Superintendent　of　the　Nautical　Almanac。

CAPTAIN　SABINE　　An　officer　of　artillery　on　leave　of　absence　from　his　regiment；　Secretary　of　the　Royal　Society；　and　Scientific　Adviser　of　the　Admiralty。

MR。　BRANDEClerk　of　the　Irons　at　the　Royal　Mint；　Professor　of　Chemistry　at　the　Royal　Institution；　Analyser　of　Rough　Nitre；　&c。　to　the　East…India　Company；　Lecturer　on　Materia　Medica；　Apothecaries'　Hall；　Superintending　Chemical　Operator　at　ditto；　Lecturer　on　Chemistry　at　ditto；　Editor　of　the　Royal　Institution　Journal；　and　Foreign　Secretary　to　the　Royal　Society。

One　should　be　led　to　imagine；　from　these　unions　of　scientific　offices；　either　that　science　is　too　little　paid；　and　that　gentlemen　cannot　be　found　to　execute　the　offices　separately　at　the　salaries　offered；　or　else；　that　it　is　too　well　paid；　since　each　requires　such　little　attention；　that　almost　any　number　can　be　executed　by　one　person。

The　Director　of　the　Royal　Observatory　has　a　larger　and　better　collection　of　instruments；　and　more　assistants　to　superintend；　than　any　other　astronomer　in　the　world；　and；　to　do　it　properly；　would　require　the　almost　undivided　attention　of　a　man　in　the　vigour　of　youth。　　Nor　would　a　superintendent　of　the　Nautical　Almanac；　if　he　made　a　point　of　being　acquainted　with　every　thing　connected　with　his　subject；　find　his　situation　at　all　a　sinecure。　Slight　as　are　the　duties　of　the　Foreign　Secretary　of　the　Royal　Society；　it　might　have　been　supposed　that　Mr。　Brande　would　scarcely；　amongst　his　multifarious　avocations；　have　found　time　even　for　them。　　But　it　may　be　a　consolation　to　him　to　know；　that　from　the　progress　the　Society　is　making；　those　duties　must　become　shortly；　if　they　are　not　already；　almost　extinct。

Doubtless　the　President；　in　making　that　appointment；　looked　most　anxiously　over　the　list　of　the　Royal　Society。　　He　doubtless　knew　that　the　Academics　of　Sweden；　of　Denmark；　of　Scotland；　of　Prussia；　of　Hanover；　and　of　France；　derived　honour　from　the　discoveries　of　their　Secretaries；that　they　prided　themselves　in　the　names　of　Berzelius；　of　Oersted；　of　Brewster；　of　Encke；　of　Gauss；　and　of　Cuvier。　　Doubtless　the　President　must　have　been　ambitious　that　England　should　contribute　to　this　galaxy　of　glory；　that　the　Royal　Society　should　restore　the　lost　Pleiad　＇Pleiades；　an　assemblage　of　seven　stars　in　the　neck　of　the　constellation　Taurus。　　There　are　now　only　six　of　them　visible　to　the　naked　eye。HUTTON'S　DICTIONARYArt。　Pleiades。＇　　to　the　admiring　science　of　Europe。　　But　he　could　discover　no　kindred　name　amongst　the　ranks　of　his　supporters；　and　forgot；　for　a　moment；　the　interest　of　the　Society；　in　an　amiable　consideration　for　the　feelings　of　his　surrounding　friends。　　For　had　the　President　chosen　a　brighter　star；　the　lustre　of　his　other　officers　might　have　been　overpowered　by　its　splendour：　　but　relieved　from　the　pain　of　such　a　contrast；　he　may　still　retain　the　hope；　that；　by　their　united　brightness；　these　suns　of　his　little　system　shall　yet　afford　sufficient　light　to　be　together　visible　to　distant　nations；　as　a　faint　NEBULA　in　the　obscure　horizon　of　English　science。


SECTION　6。

OF　THE　FUNDS　OF　THE　SOCIETY。

Although　the　Society　is　not　in　a　state　approaching　to　poverty；　it　may　be　useful　to　offer　a　few　remarks　respecting　the　distribution　of　its　money。

EXPENSE　OF　ENGRAVINGS　FOR　SIR　E。　HOME'S　PAPERS。The　great　expense　of　the　engravings　which　adorn　the　volumes　of　the　Philosophical　Transactions；　is　not　sufficiently　known。　　That　many　of　those　engravings　are　quite　essential　for　the　papers　they　illustrate；　and　that　those　papers　are　fit　for　the　Transactions；　I　do　not　doubt；　but；　some　inquiry　is　necessary；　when　such　large　sums　are　expended。　　I　shall　endeavour；　therefore；　to　approximate　to　the　sum　these　engravings　have　cost　the　Royal　Society。

Previous　to　1810；　there　are　upwards　of　seventy　plates　to　papers　of　Sir　E。　Home's；　in　many　of　these；　which　I　have　purposely　separated；　the　workmanship　is　not　so　minute　as　in　the　succeeding　ones。　　Since　1810；　there　have　occurred　187　plates　attached　to　papers　of　the　same　author。　Many　of　these　have　cost　from　twelve　to　twenty　guineas　each　plate；　but　I　shall　take　five　pounds　as　the　average　cost　of　the　first　portion；　and　twelve　as　that　of　the　latter。　　This　would　produce；　　70　X　　5　=　　350　187　X　12　=　2244　。。。。。。　　　　…　。。。。。。　　　　L2594

As　this　is　only　proposed　as　a　rough　approximation；　let　us　omit　the　odd　hundreds；　and　we　have　two　thousand　pounds　expended　in　plates　only　on　ONE　branch　of　science；　and　for　one　person！　Without　calling　in　question　the　importance　of　the　discoveries　contained　in　those　papers；　it　may　be　permitted　to　doubt　whether　such　a　large　sum　might　not　have　been　expended　in　a　manner　more　beneficial　to　science。　　Not　being　myself　conversant　with　those　subjects；　I　can　only　form　an　opinion　of　the　value　from　extraneous　circumstances。　　Had　their　importance　been　at　all　equal　to　their　number；　I　should　have　expected　to　have　heard　amongst　the　learned　of　other　countries　much　more　frequent　mention　of　them　than　I　have　done；　and　even　the　Council　of　the　Royal　Society　would　scarcely　have　excluded　from　their　Transactions　one　of　those　productions　which　they　had　paid　for　as　a　lecture。

It　might　also　have　been　more　delicate　not　to　have　placed　on　the　Council　so　repeatedly　a　gentleman；　for　whose　engravings　they　were　annually　expending；　during　the　last　twenty　years；　about　an　hundred　pounds。　　On　the　other　hand；　when　the　Council　lent　Sir　E。　Home　the　whole　of　those　valuable　plates　to　take　off　impressions　for　his　large　work　on　Comparative　Anatomy；　of　which　they　constitute　almost　the　whole；　it　might　have　been　as　well　not　to　have　obliterated　from　each　plate　all　indication　of　the　source　to　which　he　was　indebted　for　them。


THE　PRESIDENT'S　DISCOURSES。I　shall　mention　this　circumstance；　because　it　fell　under　my　own　observation。

Observing　in　the　annual　accounts　a　charge　of　381L　5s。　for　the　President's　Speeches；　I　thought　it　right　to　inquire　into　the　nature　of　this　item。　Happening　to　be　on　the　Council　the　next　year；　I　took　an　opportunity；　at　an　early　meeting　of　that　Council；　to　ask　publicly　for　an　explanation　of　the　following　resolution；　which　stands　in　the　Council…books　for　Dec。　21；　1828。

〃Resolved；　That　500　copies　of　the　President's　Discourses；　about　to　be　printed　by　Mr。　Murray；　be　purchased　by　the　Society；　at　the　usual　trade　price。〃

The　answer　given　to　that　question　was；　〃THAT　THE　COUNCIL　HAD　AGREED　TO　PURCHASE　THESE　VOLUMES　AT　THAT　PRICE；　IN　ORDER　TO　INDUCE　MR。　MURRAY　TO　PRINT　THE　PRESIDENT'S　SPEECHES。〃

I　remarked　at　the　time　that　such　an　answer　was　quite　unsatisfactory；　as　the　following　statement　will　prove。

The　volume　consists　of　160　pages；　or　twenty　sheets；　and　the　following　prices　are　very　liberal：

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　L　　s。　d。　To　composing　and　printing　twenty　sheets；　at　　　　　　3L。　per　sheet。。。。。。。。。。。　。。。。　　　　　　　　　　　　　60　　0　　0　Twenty　reams　of　paper；　at　3L。　per　ream　。。。。。　　　60　　0　　0　Corrections；　alterations；　&c。　。。。。。。。。。　　　　　　　　30　　0　　0

Total　cost　of　500　copies　。。。。。。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　150　　0　　0

Now　upon　the　subject　of　the　expense　of　printing；　the　Council　could　not　plead　ignorance。　The　Society　are　engaged　in　printing；　and　in　paying　printers'　bills；　too　frequently　to　admit　of　such　an　excuse；　and　several　of　the　individual　members　must　have　known；　from　their　own　private　experience；　that　the　cost　of　printing　such　a　volume　was　widely　different　from　that　they　were　about　to　pay；　as　an　inducement　to　a　bookseller　to　print　it　on　his　own　account。　Here；　then；　was　a　sum　of　above　two　hundred　pounds　beyond　what　was　necessary　for　the　object；　taken　from　the　funds　of　the　Royal　Society；　and　for　what　purpose？　　Did　the　President　and　his　officers　ever　condescend　to　explain　this　transaction　to　the　Council；　or　were　they　expected；　as　a　matter　of　course；　to　sanction　any　thing　proposed　to　them？　　Could　they　have　been　so　weak；　or　so　obedient；　as　to　order　the　payment　of　above　three　hundred　and　eighty　pounds；　to　induce　a　bookseller　to　do　what　they　might　have　done　themselves　for　less　than　half　the　sum？　　Or　did　they　wish　to　make　Mr。　Murray　a　present　of　two　hundred　pounds？　　If　so；　he　must　have　had　powerful　friends　in　the　Council；　and　it　is　fit　the　Society　should　know　who　they　were；　for　they　were　not　friends；　either　to　its　interests　or　to　its　honour。

The　copies；　so　purchased；　were　ordered　by　the　Council　to　be　sold　to　members　of　the　Society　at　15s。　each：　　（the　trade　price　is　15s。　3d。）　and　out　of　the　five　hundred　copies　twenty…seven　only　have　been　sold：　　the　remainder　encumber　our　shelves。　　Thus；　after　four　years；　the　Society　are　still　losers　of　three　hundred　and　sixty　Pounds　on　this　transaction。


ON　THE　CONVERSION　OF　THE　GREENWICH　OBSERVATIONS　INTO　PASTEBOARD。　Although　the　printing　of　these　observations　is　not　paid　for　out　of　the　funds　of　the　Royal　Society；　yet　as　the　Council　of　that　body　are　the　visitors　of　the　Royal　Observatory；　it　may　not　be　misplaced　to　introduce　the　subject　here。

Some　years　since；　a　member　of　the　Royal　Society　accidentally　learned；　that　there　was；　at　an　old　store…shop　in　Thames　Street；　a　large　quantity　of　the　volumes　of　the　Greenwich　Observations　on　sale　as　waste　paper。　　On　making　inquiry；　he　ascertained　that　there　were　two　tons　and　a　half　to　be　disp