| 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: Frederick Augustus Abel; William Benjamin Carpenter; Jacob Lockhart Clarke; Captain Douglas Galton; John Peter Gassiot; John Hall Gladstone; Sir Rowland Hill; William Huggins; Thomas Henry Huxley; William Allen Miller; William Hallows Miller; William Sharpey; George Gabriel Stokes; Colonel Alexander Strange; the President, Lieutenant-General Edward Sabine, in the Chair.
Among matters discussed or noted: minutes of the last meeting read and approved. Adjudication of Royal Society Medals: candidates proposed and seconded. The President stated that several Presidents of scientific bodies had held meetings concerning a proposed monument ot Michael Faraday and were now in communication with the Government on the matter. The Foreign Secretary noted the death of Professor Plucker, Foreign Member. Letter from S.H. Schwabe acknowledging his election as a Foreign Member. Letter from William Benjamin Carpenter, University of London, Burlington House, 18 June 1868, to Edward Sabine, full text entered into the minutes: at Belfast, he and Professor Wyville Thomson had the opportunity to examine deep sea specimens dredged from the coast of Norway by M. Sars junior and this research into the Northern Atlantic region should continue; it would require a large ship and a trained crew, and he understands that at present, a number of gunboats are stationed on the northern and western coasts and the Admiralty might be induced to make a vessel available for research; referring to Thomson's letter he states that he and Thomson would wish to depart from Kirkwall or Lerwick to explore the ocean bottom between Shetland and Faroe Islands, and between the Faroe Islands and Iceland; he notes the desirable features of such a ship and asks that the Royal Society approach the Admiralty, and allow £100 from one of the Society's grant funds. Letter from Charles Wyville Thomson, Belfast, 30 May 1868, to William Benjamin Carpenter, full text entered into the minutes: describing some of the deep-sea specimens found by M. Sars and setting out questions that might be answered by a dredging expedition; suggesting that Council of the Royal Society might approach the Admiralty to send out a sounding vessel to the Rockall fishing banks and towards the coast of Greenland. Resolved that the proposal of Dr. Carpenter and Wyville Thomson be approved and that £100 from the Donation Fund be set aside to meet expenses. Draft letter, William Sharpey, to Lord H. Lennox, Secretary of the Admiralty, full text entered into the minutes: noting the deep-sea dredging proposal of Carpenter and Wyville Thomson, and its scientific importance: requesting the Admiralty's assistance and stating that scientific appliances would be acquired from Royal Society funds. £30 from the Donation Fund granted to M.A. Dupre for experiments on specific heat of liquids, and £50 from the Donation Fund awarded to the Reverend S. Haughton for mineral comparisons of the granites of Ireland, Devon and Cornwall. A committee appointed to undertake the distribution of extra copies of Lord Rosse's plates of the Orion nebula. The Library of the Polytechnic School of Zurich placed on the list of institutions entitled to receive copies of Philosophical Transactions and Proceedings. Proceedings granted in exchange for the Popular Science Review. Memorial from Fellows of the Chemical Society who were also Fellows of the Royal Society, Chemical Society, Burlington House, 1 May 1868, to President and Council of the Royal Society, full text entered into the minutes: requesting that the new apartments in Burlington House should allow for the intercommunication of the Royal and other learned societies, with a list of signatories; resolved that Council was not disposed to alter the existing plans. Letter from Mr. Brayley requesting to withdraw his paper read on 20 June 1867: Brayley to be informed that the paper had been deposited in the archives and could be copied, but not removed. Letter from Dr. Bowerbank enclosing a circular to be issued by Messrs. Edwards and Bult, noting that they intend to publish a picture of a meeting of the Royal Society and requesting that this was sanctioned by the President: resolved that although there was no objection to the picture, it would not be stated that it was officially sanctioned. A copy of the Catalogue of Scientific Papers to be presented to Warren De La Rue. Letter from Mr. Busk of the Linnean Society requesting that the Entomological Society be allowed the use of rooms in the next session: and a letter from Mr. Odling of the Chemical Society stating that the Mathematical Society had been granted the use of rooms, subject to the Royal Society's approval; both requests granted. Leave of absence granted to the Assistant Secretary. All books from the Library to be returned on or before 31 July and none issued in August. Bill for payment, for advertising. |