| 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: Major-General John Theophilus Boileau; Warren De La Rue; Peter Martin Duncan; Willam Henry Flower; Edward Frankland; Francis Galton; John Russell Hind; Thomas Henry Huxley; Reverend Robert Main; William Pole; Reverend Bartholomew Price; Admiral George Henry Richards; Henry John Stephen Smith; Henry Clifton Sorby; William Spottiswoode; Balfour Stewart; George Gabriel Stokes; Alexander William Williamson; the President, Joseph Dalton Hooker, in the chair.
Among matters discussed or noted: minutes of the last meeting read and approved. Deaths of Dr. John Butter, Sir William Fergusson, Dr. Robert Lee and Afred Smee. An amendment to the resolution that no proposals and applications for grants should be made by members of the reponsible committee, not approved. The Senior Secretary reported on the matter of supports for Parliamentary standards and letters received from the Warden and the Astronomer Royal, postponed until the next meeting. Mr. Crookes and Sir William Thomson had resigned from the Government Fund Committee, as they intended to submit applications, with the Secretary writing to the Committee of Council on Education to clarify the manner of resignation for ex-officio members. Letter from Norman MacLeod, Science and Art Department, South Kensington, 29 January 1877, to the Secretary of the Royal Society, full text entered into the minutes: noting the issue of resignation of ex-officio members of the Government Fund Committee, stating that it would be advisable that the Royal Society should request the Council of the body represented by William Thomson to nominate a successor; the Royal Society's motives are appreciated and regret is expressed for the loss of Thomson's services; the Senior Secretary to write to the Royal Society of Edinburgh to nominate a member to replace Thomson. The Earl of Rosse appointed to the Government Fund Committee in place of William Crookes. Letter from R.R.W. Lingen, Treasury Chambers, January 1877, to the President and Council of the Royal Society, full text entered into the minutes: submitting a copy of the report made by the Treasury Committee relating to the grant for meteorology, which is to be presented to Parliament and is regarded as confidential; Council is asked to make suggestions in detail for the settlement of the Meteorological Office, in its direction, posts and salaries, with ocean meteorology possibly transferred to the Admiralty. Letter from R.R.W. Lingen, Treasury Chambers, 19 January 1877, to the Secretary to the Admiralty, full text entered into the minutes: submitting a copy of the report on meteorology, and asking if the Hydrographer's Department of the Admiralty would undertake ocean meteorology and whether this would be more expensive than the present arrangement, by committee of the Royal Society. A committee to be appointed to consider the letters on meteorology, for a report to Council. Minutes of the Soiree Committee were read, with £100 placed at their disposal for expenses; the soiree to take place on 25 April, with receptions on 7 March and 30 May. Letter from William Farr, General Register Office, Somerset House, 17 January 1877, to Joseph Dalton Hooker, full text entered into the minutes: he has sent calculations and a complete chronological list of Fellows admitted 1812-1876, noting the defects in the Society's record keeping and the potential for Fellows to send unrecorded facts and amend existing records; he hopes that this listing will be kept up to date and notes that most of the work was done by George Rendle, with a memorandum on hours taken to compile the list; he presents his own copy of Thomson's History of the Royal Society, with manuscript amendments and gives recommendations on future practice. Resolved that 25 guineas should be paid to Mr, Rendle and that thanks be given to Dr. Farr. The Treasurer reported that the instruments lent to the Loan Collection of Scientific Instruments had been returned, together with the Huygens object glasses from Mr. Lockyer. The Treasurer reported a donation of £100 for general purposes. The seal of the Royal Society was affixed to the agreement for letting the Mablethorpe Estate to Thomas Eve. List of bills for payment, for lithography, books and for other expenses. |