| RefNo | NLB/1/727 |
| AltRefNo | NLB/1 p485-492 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Copy letter from George Gabriel Stokes, John Evans, Michael Foster, and Lord Rayleigh [John William Strutt], to the Marquess of Salisbury, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil |
| Date | 17 November 1887 |
| Description | The authors wish to draw His Lordship's attention to the circumstances of Mr William Kitchen Parker, Fellow of the Royal Society. Parker's exhaustive researches in natural history and comparative anatomy and achievements including the award of a Royal Medal in 1866 are discussed. Parker's work has been performed in the midst of the distractions of a laborious medical practice amongst patients cheifly of the poorer classes in London. Parker's scientific work has never been a source of remuneration and until the last few year he has had to depend on his medical practice to support and educate a numerous family.
In 1877 the Committee for administering the Government Grant had no hesitation in granting Parker a personal grant of £300. Such is the estimation in which the Committee have held Paker's researches that the grant has been annually renewed up to the present time. Parker is now 64 and though he may continue to produce very useful work his more important labours are approaching their end.
It would be unfitting for the authors to attempt to fortell the future decision of the Committee for the administration of the Government Grant Fund, but should Parker apply in 1888 for a renewal of the grant, the Committee may feel that the probable results of his scientific labours in following years would not be sufficiently great to justify the grant. Should this be the case, or should Parker himself feel unjustified in making another application, he would be left with no income.
The Royal Society wishes to bring these facts before his Lordship, in sincere hope that in view of Parker's past services to science and present circumstances, his Lordship may see fit to recommend Parker for a pension on the civil list. |
| Extent | 8p |
| Format | Carbon |
| AccessStatus | Open |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA8283 | Stokes; Sir; George Gabriel (1819 - 1903); physicist | 1819 - 1903 |
| NA1686 | Evans; Sir; John (1823 - 1908) | 1823 - 1908 |
| NA8220 | Foster; Sir; Michael (1836 - 1907); physiologist | 1836 - 1907 |
| NA6090 | Strutt; John William (1842 - 1919); 3rd Baron Rayleigh; experimental and mathematical physicist | 1842 - 1919 |
| NA6176 | Parker; William Kitchen (1823 - 1890) | 1823 - 1890 |