| Description | Printed minutes containing matters laid before Council, the Royal Society's governing body of Fellows, with records of decisions taken.
Commencing with a list of Council members present: George James Allman; George Burrows; George Busk; Robert Bellamy Clifton; Heinrich Debus; Peter Martin Duncan; Thomas Archer Hirst; William Hallowes Miller; Sir James Paget; Laurence Parsons, 4th Earl of Rosse; William Sharpey; William Spottiswoode; George Gabriel Stokes; Sir Charles Wheatstone; the President, Sir George Biddell Airy, in the chair.
Among matters discussed or noted: minutes of the last meeting read and approved. Report of the Government Grant Committee, in the form of minutes of the meeting of 13 June 1872, full text entered into the minutes: a letter from Mr. Scott was read, explaining the transfer of funding from Mr. Stewart to the Kew Committee and its expenditure, which the Committee then sanctioned; list of applications for grants, with discussion, and a provisional list of grants awarded; motion of Professor Foster read, a letter from Professor Phillips on his Cooke equatorial telescope and telescope house, the latter placed at the disposal of Phillips to be bestowed with the telescope to Oxford University. Professor Huxley to be recommended for election as Secretary on the motion of George Busk. Names added to the list for adjudication of the Rumford Medal: candidates for award of Royal Society Medals proposed and seconded. Report of the Committee appointed to examine the Parliamentary Standard Yard, full text entered into the minutes: the report adopted and instruction given to Messrs. Troughton and Simms to supply any deficiences. Motion of William Sharpey, seconded by William Spottiswoode, on the nomination of Fellows for election as Council and Officers, full text entered into the minutes. Letter from Henry Rawlinson, President of the Royal Geographical Society, 1 Saville Row, Burlington Gardens, to George Biddell Airy, President of the Royal Society, 31 May 1872, full text entered into the minutes: on a renewed attempt to begin a North Polar Expedition, the reply to be that should the Government decide to send out such an expedition, President and Council would be ready to offer advice on desirable scientific observations and equipment. Minutes of the Committee on Circumnavigation, including correspondence with the India Office on the supply of deep dredging equipment for Indian seas: report on arrangements for the H.M.S.Challenger expedition, including a list of proposals for members of scientiifc staff with salaries, the report adopted. Report of the Library Committee on the Catalogue of Scientific Papers 1863-1873: resolved that preparations should begin to continue this work with £40 for expenses; superfluous books for the catagory 'miscellaneous literature' to be disposed of, and a list of Proceedings exchanges agreed. £25 from the Donation Fund granted to Professor Tait towards investigations in thermo-electricity. Major Montgomerie granted an extension of time for admission to the Fellowship. Leave granted to James Hinton of Savile Row to copy the Society's portrait of Copernicus. The Treasurer was authorised to pay for lithography and coal during the recess. All books ordered to be returned to the Library by 31 July. Leave of absence granted to the Assistant Secretary. List of bills for payment, for printing, paper, binding, engraving and other expenses. |