| Description | Foster reports that the attention of the President and Council of the Royal Society has been called to a statement which appeared in 'Chemical News', 20 October 1893, and quotes the passage which refers to Tuckerman, a member of the Committee on Indexing Chemical Literature of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, who decided to prepare a subject-index to the chemistry and physics in the work's eight quarto volumes, but before beginning work, wrote a letter to the Secretary of the Royal Society to announce his scheme. The statement further states that he asked for no money or liability from the Society, but in spite of this, the reply he received stated that the Council had refused permission to have such an index prepared, and as a consequence Tuckerman abandoned his scheme.
Foster has been directed to assure Tuckerman that his proposal was not understood as stated, and quotes from his letter of 19 March 1890, "I would be willing to undertake it (i.e. the subject-index) if I can be assured of credit on the title page for my share in the work", and explains that understandably this was taken to mean that the cost of the printing was to be borne by the Society. If the statement in the 'Chemical News' is correct, there would be no need for the Society to assure Tuckerman of credit.
The President and Council do not wish to communicate with 'Chemical News' or Mr Carrington Bolton on the subject, but wish to express their regret at having misinterpreted Tuckerman's proposal, and their wish that he had been clearer in his offer. |