decline of science in england-第22节

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ent。

Let　us　now　look　at　the　occasional　patronage　of　the　President；　arising　from　offices　not　belonging　to　the　Society。　　He　is；　EX　OFFICIO；　a　Trustee　of　the　British　Museum；　and　it　may　seem　harsh　to　maintain　that　he　is　not　a　fit　person　to　hold　such　a　situation。　It　is　no　theoretical　view；　but　it　is　the　EXPERIENCE　of　the　past　which　justifies　the　assertion；　and　I　fear　that　unless　he　has　the　sole　responsibility　for　some　specific　appointments；　and　unless　his　judgment　is　sharpened　by　the　fear　of　public　discussion；　a　President　of　the　Royal　Society；　in　the　Board…room　of　the　British　Museum；　is　quite　as　likely　as　another　person　to　sacrifice　his　public　duty　to　the　influence　of　power；　or　to　private　friendship。　With　respect　to　the　merits　of　that　Institution；　I　have　no　inclination　at　present　to　inquire：　　but　when　it　is　considered　that　there　is　at　this　moment　attached　to　it　no　one　whose　observations　or　whose　writings　have　placed　him　even　in　the　second　rank　amongst　the　naturalists　of　Europe；　the　President　of　the　Royal　Society　has　given　some　grounds　for　the　remark　made　by　several　members　of　the　Society；　that　he　is　a　little　too　much　surrounded　by　the　officers　of　a　body　who　may　reasonably　be　supposed　to　entertain　towards　him　feelings　either　of　gratitude　or　expectation。　　＇It　will　be　remembered　that　the　name　of　Mr。　Robert　Brown　has　been　but　recently　attached　to　the　British　Museum；　and　that　it　is　to　be　attributed　to　his　possessing　a　life　interest　in　the　valuable　collection　of　the　late　Sir　Joseph　Banks。＇

The　late　Board　of　Longitude　was　another　source　of　patronage；　which；　although　now　abolished；　it　may　be　useful　to　hint　at。

There　were　three　members　to　be　appointed　by　the　Royal　Society：　these　were　honorary；　and；　as　no　salary　was　attached；　it　might　have　been　expected　that　this　limited　number　of　appointments　would　have　been　given　in　all　cases　to　persons　qualified　for　them。　　But　no：　　it　was　convenient　to　pay　compliments；　and　Lord　Colchester；　whose　talents　and　knowledge　insured　him　respect　as　Speaker　of　the　House　of　Commons；　or　as　a　British　nobleman；　was　placed　for　years　in　the　situation　as　one　of　the　Commissioners　of　the　Board　of　Longitude；　for　which　every　competent　judge　knew　him　to　be　wholly　unfit。　What　was　the　return　which　he　made　for　this　indulgence？　Little　informed　respecting　the　feelings　of　the　Society；　and　probably　misinformed　by　the　party　whose　influence　had　placed　him　there；　he　saved　them　in　the　day　of　their　peril。

When　the　state　of　the　Society　had　reached　such　a　point　that　many　of　the　more　scientific　members　felt　that　some　amendment　was　absolutely　necessary　to　its　respectability；　a　committee　was　formed　to　suggest　to　the　Council　such　improvements　as　they　might　consider　it　expedient　to　discuss。　　＇Amongst　the　names　of　the　persons　composing　this　Committee；　which　was　proposed　by　Mr。　South；　were　those　of　Dr。　Wollaston　and　Mr。　Herschel。＇　　The　Council　received　their　report　at　the　close　of　the　session；　and　in　recording　it　on　the　journals；　they　made　an　appeal　to　the　Council　for　the　ensuing　year　to　bestow　on　it　〃THEIR　EARLIEST　AND　MOST　SERIOUS　ATTENTION。〃

Now　when　the　party；　to　whose　government　some　of　these　improvements　would　have　been　a　death…warrant；　found　that　the　subject　was　likely　to　be　taken　up　in　the　Council；　they　were　in　dismay：　　but　the　learned　and　grateful　peer　came　to　their　assistance；　and　aided　Mr。　Davies　Gilbert　in　getting　rid　of　these　improvements　completely。

It　has　been　the　fashion　to　maintain　that　all　classes　of　the　Royal　Society　should　be　represented　in　the　Council；　and　consequently　that　a　peer　or　two　should　find　a　place　amongst　them。　　Those　who　are　most　adverse　to　this　doctrine　would　perhaps　be　the　most　anxious　to　render　this　tribute　to　any　one　really　employing　his　time；　his　talents；　or　his　rank　in　advancing　the　cause　of　science。　But　when　a　nobleman；　unversed　in　our　pursuits；　will　condescend　to　use　the　influence　of　his　station　in　aiding　a　President　to　stifle；　WITHOUT　DISCUSSION；　propositions　recommended　for　consideration　by　some　of　the　most　highly　gifted　members　of　the　Society；those　who　doubt　the　propriety　of　the　principle　may　reasonably　be　pardoned　for　the　disgust　they　must　necessarily　entertain　for　the　practical　abuse　to　which　it　leads。

Of　the　other　three　Commissioners；　who　received　each　a　hundred　a…year；　although　the　nomination　was；　in　point　of　form；　in　the　Admiralty；　yet　it　was　well　known　that　the　President　of　the　Royal　Society　did；　in　fact；　always　name　them。　　Of　these　I　will　only　mention　one　fact。　The　late　Sir　Joseph　Banks　assigned　to　me　as　a　reason　why　I　need　not　expect　to　be　appointed；　（as　he　had　held　out　to　me　at　a　former　period　when　I　had　spoken　to　him　on　the　subject）　that　I　had　taken　a　prominent　part　in　the　formation　of　the　ASTRONOMICAL　SOCIETY。　　I　am　proud　of　the　part　I　did　take　in　establishing　that　Society；　although　an　undue　share　of　its　honour　was　assigned　to　me　by　the　President。

It　may；　perhaps；　be　inquired；　why　I　publish　this　fact　at　this　distance　of　time？　　I　answer；　that　I　stated　it　publicly　at　the　Council　of　the　Astronomical　Society；that　I　always　talked　of　it　publicly　and　openly　at　the　time；that　I　purposely　communicated　it　to　each　succeeding　President　of　the　Royal　Society；　and　that；　although　some　may　have　forgotten　the　communications　I　made　at　the　time；　there　are　others　who　remember　them　well。

The　Secretary　of　the　late　Board　of　Longitude　received　300L。；　and　200L。　more；　as　Superintendent　of　the　Nautical　Almanac。

Another　situation；　in　the　patronage　of　which　the　President　is　known　to　have　considerable　influence；　is　that　of　Astronomer　Royal；　and　it　is　to　be　observed；　that　he　is　kept　in　the　Council　as　much　as　possible；　notwithstanding　the　nature　of　his　duties。

Of　the　three　appointments　of　100L。　a…year　each；　which　have　been　instituted　since　the　abolition　of　the　Board　of　Longitude；　the　President　is　supposed　to　have　the　control；　thus　making　him　quite　sure　of　the　obedience　of　his　Council。

Besides　these　sources　of　patronage；　there　are　other　incidental　occasions　on　which　Government　apply　to　the　Royal　Society　to　recommend　proper　persons　to　make　particular　experiments　or　observations；　and；　although　I　am　far　from　supposing　that　these　are　in　many　instances　given　to　persons　the　second　or　third　best　qualified　for　them；　yet　they　deserve　to　be　mentioned。


SECTION　12。

OF　THE　PLAN　FOR　REFORMING　THE　SOCIETY。

The　indiscriminate　admission　of　every　candidate　became　at　last　so　notorious；　even　beyond　the　pale　of　the　Society；　that　some　of　the　members　began　to　perceive　the　inconveniences　to　which　it　led。　This　feeling；　together　with　a　conviction　that　other　improvements　were　necessary　to　re…establish　the　Society　in　public　opinion；　induced　several　of　the　most　active　members　to　wish　for　some　reform　in　its　laws　and　proceedings；　and　a　Committee　was　appointed　to　consider　the　subject。　　It　was　perfectly　understood；　that　the　object　of　this　Committee　was　to　inquire；First；　as　to　the　means　and　propriety　of　limiting　the　numbers　of　this　Society；　and　then；　as　to　other　changes　which　they　might　think　beneficial。　　The　names　of　the　gentlemen　composing　this　Committee　were：

Dr。　Wollaston；　　　　　　　　　　　Mr。　Herschel；　Dr。　Young；　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Mr。　Babbage；　Mr。　Davies　Gilbert；　　　　　　Captain　Beaufort；　Mr。　South；　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Captain　Kater。

The　importance　of　the　various　improvements　suggested　was　different　in　the　eyes　of　different　members。　　The　idea　of　rendering　the　Society　so　select　as　to　make　it　an　object　of　ambition　to　men　of　science　to　be　elected　into　it；　was　by　no　means　new；　as　the　following　extract　from　the　Minutes　of　the　Council　will　prove：

〃MINUTES　OF　COUNCIL。　　August　27；　1674　Present；

Sir　W。　Petty；　Vice…President；　Sir　John　Lowther；　Sir　John　Cutler；　Sir　Christopher　Wren；　Mr。　Oldenburgh；　Sir　Paul　Neile。

〃It　was　considered　by　this　Council；　that　to　make　the　Society　prosper；　good　experiments　must　be　in　the　first　place　provided　to　make　the　weekly　meetings　considerable；　and　that　the　expenses　for　making　these　experiments　must　be　secured　by　legal　subscriptions　for　paying　the　contributors；　which　done；　the　Council　might　then　with　confidence　proceed　to　the　EJECTION　OF　USELESS　FELLOWS。〃

The　reformers　of　modern　times　were　less　energetic　in　the　measures　they　recommended。　Dr。　Wollaston　and　some　others　thought　the　limitation　of　the　numbers　of　the　Society　to　be　the　most　essential　point；　and　400　was　suggested　as　a　proper　number　to　be　recommended；　in　case　a　limitation　should　be　ultimately　resolved　upon。　　I　confess；　such　a　limit　did　not　appear　to　me　to　bring　great　advantages；　especially　when　I　reflected　how　long　a　time　must　have　elapsed　before　the　714　members　of　the　Society　could　be　reduced　by　death　to　that　number。　　And　I　also　thought　that　as　long　as　those　who　alone　sustained　the　reputation　of　the　Society　by　their　writings　and　discoveries　should　be　admitted　into　it　on　precisely　the　same　terms；　and　on　the　payment　of　the　same　sum　of　money　as　other　gentlemen　who　contributed　only　with　their　purse；　it　could　never　be　an　object　of　ambition　to　any　man　of　science　to　be　enrolled　on　its　list。

With　this　view；　and　also　to　assist　those　who　wished　for　a　limitation；　I　suggested　a　plan　extremely　simple　in　its　nature；　and　which　would　become　effective　immediately。　　I　proposed　that；　in　the　printed　list　of　the　Royal　Society；　a　star　should　be　placed　against　the