| 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; Arthur James Balfour; John Rose Bradford (Foreign Secretary); Sir William Crookes; Francis Darwin; Sir George Darwin; James Cossar Ewart; David Ferrier; Sir Archibald Geikie (Secretary); Charles Thomas Heycock; Sydney John Hickson; Alfred Bray Kempe (Treasurer); Joseph Larmor (Secretary); Charles Algernon Parsons; Dr. Alexander Scott; 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:
1. Minutes of the previous meeting were read and signed as correct.
2. List of President, Officers and Members of Council recommended by Council for election at the Anniversary Meeting.
3. Adjudication of Royal Society Medals: the Copley Medal awarded to Dr. A.R. Wallace; the Rumford Medal to Professor H.A. Lorenz; Royal Medals to Professor John Milne and Dr. Henry Head; the Davy Medal to Professor W.A. Tilden; the Darwin Medal to Professor August Weismann; the Hughes Medal to Professor Eugen Goldstein.
4. Letter from Arthur Schuster, Marsden Grange, Simla, 4 October 1908, to Lord Rayleigh, full text entered into the minutes: noting that the Royal Society is unique in expecting its representatives to pay for their own travelling expenses, which limits choice in the selection of suitable scientsists; Schuster wishes to donate £1,500 to the Royal Society, the interest on which would allow four representatives to attend International Association meetings, and one representative at council meetings, the offer accepted with thanks.
5. Appointment of Auditors of the Treasurer's accounts.
6. Lord Avebury, Sir Thomas Lauder Brunton, William Turner Thiselton-Dyer and Sir Archibald Geikie nominated to represent the Royal Society at Cambridge University for the centenary of Charles Darwin's birth, and the 50th anniversary of publication of 'On the Origin of Species'.
7. Draft alteration scheme for the foundation of Alleyn's College of God's Gift received from the Board of Education, with a letter from Professor Carey Foster stating that the scheme had been accepted by the College Governors.
8. Professor Tilden appointed to represent the Royal Society on the Governing Body of Charterhouse School.
9. Professor Armstrong reappointed to represnt the Royal Society on the governing body of Christ's Hospital.
10. Sir George Darwin drew attention to the urgency of the work on the Great African Geodetic Arc, where work had been delayed by bad weather near Ruwenzori: extra expense would amount to £1,200 and the matter had been brought to the attention of H.M Government which indicated that interested societies should pay £400 of this; Darwin undertook to represent to the Government that the existing contribution was given on the understanding that the Colonial Office would undertake the completion of the work. Resoolved that it was left to the President to sanction a payment from the Government Grant, if this was a necessary condition of retaining the existing surveying party.
11. Treasurer authorised to pay the anual contribution of a Fellow from the Scientific Relief Fund.
12. Report of the Soiree Committee on arrangements for the Anniversary Dinner, approved.
13. Treasurer authorised to draw up to £120 from the Reserve Fund of the Government Grant, tio meet the Society's expenditure on matters raised by H.M. Government during the past year.
14. Treasurer reported the receipt of £3,500 from the Treasury as the second part of the National Physical Laboratories salaries and expenses, and £500 for the expenses of the Eskdalemuir Observatory.
15. Leave granted to Miss Martin to photograph manuscripts for the American Historical Association.
16. List of bills for payment for printing. |