| 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: Sir Benjamin Collins Brodie; Arthur Cayley; John Evans; Daniel Hanbury; Thomas Henry Huxley; Nevil Story Maskelyne; James Clerk Maxwell; Charles Watkins Merrifield; Joseph Prestwich; Andrew Crombie Ramsay; John Scott Burdon Sanderson; William Sharpey; Francis Sibson; William Spottiswoode; George Gabriel Stokes; General Richard Strachey; Alexander William Williamson; the President, Joseph Dalton Hooker, in the chair.
Among matters discussed or noted: minutes of the last meeting read and approved. Death of Alexander Luard Wollaston. Committee of Papers recommended that Mr. Prestwich's paper on deep-sea temperatures is received on condition of return to the author if not printed in full. Letter from Mr. Peters stating that the Altona Observatory had been transferred to Kiel. Report of the Government Grant Committee in the form of minutes of a meeting of 11 June 1874, full text entered into the minutes: letters from Mr. Parker and Rupert Jones, and from Mr. Friswell, accounting for expenditure and returning unspent sums; list of applications postponed from last meeting discussed and funds allocated, with other decisions on referrals and postponements, with a final list of grants made. Report from the Circumnavigation Committee, the balance of the committee's fund repaid to the India Office. List of proposals for Royal Society medals, with citations. Letter from Samuel Carter and Edmund Ronalds, the executors of Sir Francis Ronalds, Quarry Hill, Battle, 11 June 1874, to the Secretary of the Royal Society, full text entered into the minutes: £500 donated for augmentation fo the Wollaston Fund [Donation Fund], in recognition of the support Ronalds received when Honorary Director of Kew Observatory, in aid of photographic instruments for registering terrestrial magnetism, atmospheric electricity and other meteorological phenomena; a subsequent letter notes legacy duty. The letter from the Treasury read at last Council was considered and the President to respond to the misapprehension on the terms by which the Society holds its apartments and the Treasurer authorised to take out a special policy. Letter from William Benjamin Carpenter, University of London, 17 June 1874, to the President of the Royal Society, full text entered into the minutes: on the Gilchrist Educational Trust, commencing with a list of trustees and outlining the possibility for giving grants to scientists as individuals for scientific investigations; the trustees might give grants of up to £1,000 and Council's opinion is sought; the matter referred to a committee for consideration. Letter from Augustus W. Franks, Christy Collection, 103 Victoria Street, 1 June 1874, to the Secretary of the Royal Society, full text entered into the minutes: expressing pleasure at the Brixham Cave flints being placed in the collection and noting conditions of acceptance in relation to the British Museum. Professor Ramsay made a statement on the deep boring in the Wealden in Sussex: Council recognised its importance, now to a depth of almost 1,000 feet and the President would lay a statement before the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to continue the work. Professor Burdon Sanderson applied for leave to republish Proceedings papers, granted. Dr. Logan's paper on calculus of facorials to be accepted on condition it would be returned if not printed. Various applications were read to reproduce illustrations and papers, granted. Application from the Social Science Association for numbers of the Proceedings, granted. A.R.C. Selwyn granted an expension for admission to the Fellowship. Leave of absence granted to the Assistant Secretary. All book on loan to be returned to the Library and none given out in August. The Treasurer authorised to pay bills arising during recess. List of bill for payment for printing and other expenses. |