| 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: Isaac Lowthian Bell; Sir Risdon Bennett; Thomas George Bonney; Heinrich Debus; John Evans (Treasurer); Alexander John Ellis; Michael Foster; Sir John Hawkshaw; Thomas Archer Hirst; William Huggins; Thomas Henry Huxley; Joseph Lister; Daniel Oliver; Warington Wilkinson Smyth; Henry Tibbats Stainton; George Gabriel Stokes; Edward James Stone; Alexander William Williamson; the President, William Spottiswoode, in the chair.
Among matters discussed or noted: minutes of the last meeting read and approved. Letter from F. Cavendish, Treasury Chambers, 5 April 1882, to the President and Council of the Royal Society, full text entered into the minutes: on the priority and cost of meteorological telegrams, noting that any discussion opened with the Postmaster General would involve many interest groups, to the detriment of the impartial service; the letter to be forwarded to the Meteorological Council. Letter from J.H. Cole, Treasury Chambers, 8 April 1882, to the President of the Royal Society, full text entered into the minutes: expressing regret that the description of the Government Grant within the year's estimate was not satisfactory and promising to revise it in accordance with the Society's wishes in the following year's estimate. Letter from Robert Hall, Admiralty, 25 April 1882, to the Secretary, the Royal Society, Burlington House, full text entered into the minutes: following communication with Mr. J. Murray of the Challenger Expedition Commission, he notes the availability of H.M. surveying vessel Triton for additional investigations around the Faroe Channel; he asks how many persons would be sent on the expedition and asking for an estimate of the cost of dredging and trawling gear, to be forwarded to the Treasury; Mr. Murray to be asked to provide the estimate. Letter from F. Cavendish, Treasury Chambers, 5 April 1882, to the President of the Royal Society, full text entered into the minutes: the Government has considered the proposal from the Russian Government to establish circumpolar meteorological observatories and is prepared to ask Parliament for £2,500 with the balance to be made up from other sources; he asks if the Royal Society would take charge of an expedition, in a manner similar to the Transit of Venus expedition; the Foreign Secretary would inform the Russian and German Governments that a station would be established in Canada; the proposal accepted by the Royal Society and a Circumpolar Committee appointed to superintend the arrangements. The Treasurer stated that he had advanced £200 to Captain Dawson and that the Canadian Government had promised $4,000 for the expedition expenses. Leave granted for electrotypes of illustrations. Professor Cayley suggested as a recipient of a Copley Medal in the forthcoming adjudication. Mr. Murray to be requested to write an Obituary Notice of Sir Wyville Thomson and Mr. J. Fergusson to write an Obituary Notice of Decimus Burton. List of candidates for Fellowship of the Royal Society, to be recommended at the Annual Meeting on 8 June. |