| Description | Printed minutes containing matters laid before Council, the Royal Society's governing body of Fellows, with records of decisions taken. Individual minutes are numbered.
Commencing with a list of Council members present: Dr. Henry Frederick Baker; John Rose Bradford (Foreign Secretary); Sir William Crookes; Francis Darwin; James Cossar Ewart; David Ferrier; Sir Archibald Geikie (Secretary); Charles Thomas Heycock; Alfred Bray Kempe (Treasurer); Joseph Larmor (Secretary); Charles Algernon Parsons; Albert Charles Seward; Frederick Thomas Trouton; Augustus Desire Waller; William Whitaker; the President, John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh, in the chair. The Assistant Secretary [Robert Harrison] attended.
Among matters discussed or noted:
The Honorable Charles Algernon Parsons subscribed to the Declaration in lieu of the oath, as a new member of Council
1. Minutes of the previous meeting were read and signed as correct.
2. Deaths of Colonel Baird, Dr. J. Bell, the Duke of Devonshire and Sir John Eliot: Sir George Darwin, Dr. Thorpe, Professor Liveing and Dr. W.N. Shaw requested to write Obituary Notices.
3. Letter from Professor Retzius proposing a date for the Croonian Lecture, agreed as 14 May.
4. Letter from the Home Office, asking if the subject of the disease known as Glassworkers' Cataract might be investigated by a Royal Society Committee: referred to the Sectional Committee for Physiology.
5. Colonel Bruce re-nominated to represent the Royal Society on Council of the Lister Institute of Preventative Medicine.
6. Letter from C.P. Lucas, Downing Street, 15 April 1908, to the Secretary, the Royal Society, full text entered into the minutes: the scheme for an International Central Bureau on Sleeping Sickness has fallen through and therefore H.M. Government have decided to form a National Bureau in London; he asks if the Royal Society would accept the proposal in the Foreign Office letter of 22 October last, and notes that a Committee of Management would meet on 29 April. Council resolved that the same facilities would be offered to the National Bureau.
7. Amendments to regulations of the Government Grant Committee on dates for receiving applications and for meetings of the General Committee.
8. Dr. R.T. Glazebrook to represent the Royal Society on a Board of Trade committee to make arrangements for the International Conference on Electric Units and Standards.
9. The President to represent the Royal Society at a meeting and reception at the Linnean Society to celebrate the jubilee of the joint paper of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace.
10. The extent of the edition of the Proceedings was considered, with a proposal to reduce the number of copies printed and a circular to be sent to enquire whether Fellows would receive Series A or B.
11. Request from the Chemical Society to re-publish Obituary Notices of Sir William Perkin and Professor Warington: leave granted, and a general system of co-operation with other societies approved.
12. Treasurer reported that he had received a cheque from the Executors of Lord Kelvin, reimbursing the Royal Society for funeral expenses.
13. The Assistant Secretary reported that Mr. George Kennedy and Mrs. Kennedy, the porter and housekeeper, wished to retire after 33 years' service: retirement allowances of £75 and £50 per annum respectively, were granted.
14. A gratuity of £10 awarded to George Kennedy for collating and collecting stock of the Society's publications, and for reorganising the stock-room.
15. Treasurer authorised to pay the annual contributions of two Fellows and the circumstances reported to the Scientific Relief Fund.
16. Nominations of Foreign Members deferred until the next meeting, with the name of Professor Kitasato added to those being considered.
17. Letter from Lady McClintock expressing thanks for the erection of a memorial to Leopold McClintock in Westminster Abbey.
18. Letter from the Department of Public Health in Cairo thanking the Royal Society for the recommendation of Mr. Houston to investigate Cairo's water supply.
19. Letter from T.W.P. Blomefield, Board of Trade, 7 Whitehall Gardens, 23 March 1908, to the Secretary, the Royal Society, full text entered into the minutes: trade marks applied for by the Royal Society on behalf of the National Physical Laboratory have proceeded to registration.
20. Leave granted to the Editor of Chemical News to reproduce illustrations.
21. Treasurer reported the receipt of £500 from H.M. Treasury as the first part of the Publication Grant: with £3,500 for the National Physical Laboratory salaries and expenses, £500 for Eskdalemuir Observatory salaries and expenses, and £5,000 as the special grant for building and equipment.
22. List of bills for payment, for engraving, paper, books and for other expenses. |