decline of science in england-第14章

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Whether　the　first　of　these　causes　has　ever　operated　can　be　best　explained　by　those　gentlemen　who　have　been　on　the　Council。　　The　refusals　are；　notwithstanding　the　President's　taciturnity　on　the　subject；　better　known　than　he　is　willing　that　they　should　be。

Having　discussed　the　general　policy　of　the　measure；　with　reference　both　to　the　Society　and　to　the　public；　and　without　the　slightest　reference　to　the　individuals　who　may　have　refused　or　accepted　those　situations；　I　shall　now　examine　the　propriety　of　the　appointments　that　have　been　made。

Doubtless　the　gentlemen　who　now　hold　those　situations　either　have　never　considered　the　influence　such　a　mode　of　selection　would　have　on　the　character　of　the　Council；　or；　having　considered　it；　they　must　have　arrived　at　a　different　conclusion　from　mine。　There　may；　however；　be　arguments　which　I　have　overlooked；　and　a　discussion　of　them　must　ultimately　lead　to　truth：　but　I　confess　that　it　appears　to　me　the　objections　which　have　been　stated　rest　on　principles　of　human　nature；　too　deeply　seated　to　be　easily　removed。

That　I　am　not　singular　in　the　view　I　have　taken　of　this　subject；　appears　from　several　circumstances。　　A　question　was　asked　respecting　these　appointments　at　the　Anniversary　before　the　last；　and；　from　the　nature　of　the　answer；　many　of　the　members　of　the　Society　have　been　led　to　believe　the　objections　have　been　removed。　　Several　Fellows　of　the　Society；　who　knew　these　facts；　thought　it　inexpedient　ever　to　vote　for　placing　any　gentleman　on　the　Council　who　had　accepted　these　situations；　and；　having　myself　the　same　view　of　the　case；　I　applied　to　the　Council　to　be　informed　of　the　names　of　the　present　Scientific　Advisers。　　But　although　they　remonstrated　against　the　PRINCIPLE；　they　replied　that　they　had　〃NO　COGNIZANCE〃　of　the　fact。

The　two　first　members　of　the　Council；　Mr。　Herschel　and　Captain　Kater；　who　were　so　　appointed；　and　who　had　previously　been　Resident　Commissioners　under　the　Act；　immediately　refused　the　situations。　　Dr。　Young　became　one　of　the　Advisers；　and　Captain　Sabine　and　Mr。　Faraday　were　appointed　by　the　Admiralty　as　the　two　remaining　ones。　　Of　Dr。　Young；　who　died　shortly　after；　I　shall　only　observe　that　he　possessed　knowledge　which　qualified　him　for　the　situation。

Whether　those　who　at　present　fill　these　offices　can　be　said　to　belong　to　that　class　of　persons　which　the　Order　in　Council　and　the　Act　of　Parliament　point　out；　is　a　matter　on　which　doubt　may　reasonably　be　entertained。　　The　Order　in　Council　speaks　of　these　three　persons　as　being　the　same；　and　having　the　〃SAME　DUTIES〃　as　those　mentioned　in　the　Act；　and　it　recites　the　words　of　the　Act；　that　they　shall　be　persons　〃WELL　VERSED　IN　THE　SCIENCES　OF　MATHEMATICS　ASTRONOMY；　AND　NAVIGATION。〃　Of　the　fitness　of　the　gentlemen　who　now　hold　those　situations　to　pronounce　judgment　on　mathematical　questions；　the　public　will　be　better　able　to　form　an　opinion　when　they　shall　have　communicated　to　the　world　any　of　their　own　mathematical　inquiries。　　Although　it　is　the　practice　to　consider　that　acceptance　of　office　is　alone　necessary　to　qualify　a　man　for　a　statesman；　a　similar　doctrine　has　not　yet　prevailed　in　the　world　of　science。　　One　of　these　gentlemen；　who　has　established　his　reputation　as　a　chemist；　stands　in　the　same　predicament　with　respect　to　the　other　two　sciences。　　It　remains　then　to　consider　Captain　Sabine's　claims；　which　must　rest　on　his　skill　in　〃PRACTICAL　ASTRONOMY　AND　NAVIGATION；〃　a　claim　which　can　only　be　allowed　when　the　scientific　world　are　set　at　rest　respecting　the　extraordinary　nature　of　those　observations　contained　in　his　work　on　the　Pendulum。

That　volume；　printed　under　the　authority　of　the　Board　of　Longitude；　excited　at　its　appearance　considerable　attention。　　The　circumstance　of　the　Government　providing　instruments　and　means　of　transport　for　the　purpose　of　these　inquiries；　placed　at　Captain　Sabine's　disposal　means　superior　to　those　which　amateurs　can　generally　afford；　whilst　the　industry　with　which　he　availed　himself　of　these　opportunities；　enabled　him　to　bring　home　multitudes　of　observations　from　situations　rarely　visited　with　such　instruments；　and　for　such　purposes。

The　remarkable　agreement　with　each　other；　which　was　found　to　exist　amongst　each　class　of　observations；　was　as　unexpected　by　those　most　conversant　with　the　respective　processes；　as　it　was　creditable　to　one　who　had　devoted　but　a　few　years　to　the　subject；　and　who；　in　the　course　of　those　voyages；　used　some　of　the　instruments　for　the　first　time　in　his　life。

This　accordance　amongst　the　results　was　such；　that　naval　officers　of　the　greatest　experience；　confessed　themselves　unable　to　take　such　lunars；　whilst　other　observers；　long　versed　in　the　use　of　the　transit　instrument；　avowed　their　inability　to　take　such　transits。　　Those　who　were　conversant　with　pendulums；　were　at　a　loss　how　to　make；　even　under　more　favourable　circumstances；　similarly　concordant　observations。　　The　same　opinion　prevailed　on　the　continent　as　well　as　in　England。　On　whatever　subject　Captain　Sabine　touched；　the　observations　he　published　seemed　by　their　accuracy　to　leave　former　observers　at　a　distance。　The　methods　of　using　the　instruments　scarcely　differed　in　any　important　point　from　those　before　adopted；　and；　but　for　a　fortunate　discovery；　which　I　shall　presently　relate；　the　world　must　have　concluded　that　Captain　Sabine　possessed　some　keenness　of　vision；　or　acuteness　of　touch；　which　it　would　be　hopeless　for　any　to　expect　to　rival。

The　Council　of　the　Royal　Society　spared　no　pains　to　stamp　the　accuracy　of　these　observations　with　their　testimony。　　They　seem　to　have　thrust　Captain　Sabine's　name　perpetually　on　their　minutes；　and　in　a　manner　which　must　have　been　almost　distressing：　they　recommend　him　in　a　letter　to　the　Admiralty；　then　in　another　to　the　Ordnance；　and　several　of　the　same　persons；　in　their　other　capacity；　as　members　of　the　Board　of　Longitude；　after　voting　him　a　THOUSAND　POUNDS　for　these　observations；　are　said　to　have　again　recommended　him　to　the　Master…General　of　the　Ordnance。　　That　an　officer；　commencing　his　scientific　career；　should　be　misled　by　such　praises；　was　both　natural　and　pardonable；　but　that　the　Council　of　the　Royal　Society　should　adopt　their　opinion　so　heedlessly；　and　maintain　it　so　pertinaciously；　was　as　cruel　to　the　observer　as　it　was　injurious　to　the　interests　of　science。

It　might　have　been　imagined　that　such　praises；　together　with　the　Copley　medal；　presented　to　Captain　Sabine　by　the　Royal　Society；　and　the　medal　of　Lalande；　given　to　him　by　the　Institute　of　France；　had　arisen　from　such　a　complete　investigation　of　his　observations；　as　should　place　them　beyond　the　reach　even　of　criticism。　　But；　alas！　the　Royal　Society　may　write；　and　nobody　will　attend；　its　medals　have　lost　their　lustre；　and　even　the　Institute　of　France　may　find　that　theirs　cannot　confer　immortality。　　That　learned　body　is　in　the　habit　of　making　most　interesting　and　profound　reports　on　any　memoirs　communicated　to　it；　nothing　escapes　the　penetration　of　their　committees　appointed　for　such　purposes。　Surely；　when　they　enter　on　the　much　more　important　subject　of　the　award　of　a　medal；　unusual　pains　must　be　taken　with　the　previous　report；　and　it　might；　perhaps；　be　of　some　advantage　to　science；　and　might　furnish　their　admirers　with　arguments　in　their　defence；　if　they　would　publish　that　on　which　the　decree　of　their　Lalande's　medal　to　Captain　Sabine　was　founded。

It　is　far　from　necessary　to　my　present　object；　to　state　all　that　has　been　written　and　said　respecting　these　pendulum　experiments：　I　shall　confine　myself　merely　to　two　points；　one；　the　transit　observations；　I　shall　allude　to；　because　I　may　perhaps　show　the　kind　of　feeling　that　exists　respecting　them；　and　possibly　enable　Captain　Sabine　to　explain　them。　　The　other　point；　the　error　in　the　estimation　of　the　division　of　the　level；　I　shall　discuss；　because　it　is　an　admitted　fact。

Some　opinion　may　be　formed　of　transit　observations；　by　taking　the　difference　of　times　of　the　passage　of　any　star　between　the　several　wires；　supposing　the　distances　of　those　wires　equal；　the　intervals　of　time　occupied　by　the　star　in　passing　from　one　to　the　other；　ought　to　be　precisely　the　same。　　As　those　times　of　passing　from　one　wire　to　another　are　usually　given　to　seconds　and