decline of science in england-第25章

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SERIOUS　ATTENTION。〃

Now　when　the　party；　to　whose　government　some　of　these　improvements　would　have　been　a　death…warrant；　found　that　the　subject　was　likely　to　be　taken　up　in　the　Council；　they　were　in　dismay：　　but　the　learned　and　grateful　peer　came　to　their　assistance；　and　aided　Mr。　Davies　Gilbert　in　getting　rid　of　these　improvements　completely。

It　has　been　the　fashion　to　maintain　that　all　classes　of　the　Royal　Society　should　be　represented　in　the　Council；　and　consequently　that　a　peer　or　two　should　find　a　place　amongst　them。　　Those　who　are　most　adverse　to　this　doctrine　would　perhaps　be　the　most　anxious　to　render　this　tribute　to　any　one　really　employing　his　time；　his　talents；　or　his　rank　in　advancing　the　cause　of　science。　But　when　a　nobleman；　unversed　in　our　pursuits；　will　condescend　to　use　the　influence　of　his　station　in　aiding　a　President　to　stifle；　WITHOUT　DISCUSSION；　propositions　recommended　for　consideration　by　some　of　the　most　highly　gifted　members　of　the　Society；those　who　doubt　the　propriety　of　the　principle　may　reasonably　be　pardoned　for　the　disgust　they　must　necessarily　entertain　for　the　practical　abuse　to　which　it　leads。

Of　the　other　three　Commissioners；　who　received　each　a　hundred　a…year；　although　the　nomination　was；　in　point　of　form；　in　the　Admiralty；　yet　it　was　well　known　that　the　President　of　the　Royal　Society　did；　in　fact；　always　name　them。　　Of　these　I　will　only　mention　one　fact。　The　late　Sir　Joseph　Banks　assigned　to　me　as　a　reason　why　I　need　not　expect　to　be　appointed；　（as　he　had　held　out　to　me　at　a　former　period　when　I　had　spoken　to　him　on　the　subject）　that　I　had　taken　a　prominent　part　in　the　formation　of　the　ASTRONOMICAL　SOCIETY。　　I　am　proud　of　the　part　I　did　take　in　establishing　that　Society；　although　an　undue　share　of　its　honour　was　assigned　to　me　by　the　President。

It　may；　perhaps；　be　inquired；　why　I　publish　this　fact　at　this　distance　of　time？　　I　answer；　that　I　stated　it　publicly　at　the　Council　of　the　Astronomical　Society；that　I　always　talked　of　it　publicly　and　openly　at　the　time；that　I　purposely　communicated　it　to　each　succeeding　President　of　the　Royal　Society；　and　that；　although　some　may　have　forgotten　the　communications　I　made　at　the　time；　there　are　others　who　remember　them　well。

The　Secretary　of　the　late　Board　of　Longitude　received　300L。；　and　200L。　more；　as　Superintendent　of　the　Nautical　Almanac。

Another　situation；　in　the　patronage　of　which　the　President　is　known　to　have　considerable　influence；　is　that　of　Astronomer　Royal；　and　it　is　to　be　observed；　that　he　is　kept　in　the　Council　as　much　as　possible；　notwithstanding　the　nature　of　his　duties。

Of　the　three　appointments　of　100L。　a…year　each；　which　have　been　instituted　since　the　abolition　of　the　Board　of　Longitude；　the　President　is　supposed　to　have　the　control；　thus　making　him　quite　sure　of　the　obedience　of　his　Council。

Besides　these　sources　of　patronage；　there　are　other　incidental　occasions　on　which　Government　apply　to　the　Royal　Society　to　recommend　proper　persons　to　make　particular　experiments　or　observations；　and；　although　I　am　far　from　supposing　that　these　are　in　many　instances　given　to　persons　the　second　or　third　best　qualified　for　them；　yet　they　deserve　to　be　mentioned。


SECTION　12。

OF　THE　PLAN　FOR　REFORMING　THE　SOCIETY。

The　indiscriminate　admission　of　every　candidate　became　at　last　so　notorious；　even　beyond　the　pale　of　the　Society；　that　some　of　the　members　began　to　perceive　the　inconveniences　to　which　it　led。　This　feeling；　together　with　a　conviction　that　other　improvements　were　necessary　to　re…establish　the　Society　in　public　opinion；　induced　several　of　the　most　active　members　to　wish　for　some　reform　in　its　laws　and　proceedings；　and　a　Committee　was　appointed　to　consider　the　subject。　　It　was　perfectly　understood；　that　the　object　of　this　Committee　was　to　inquire；First；　as　to　the　means　and　propriety　of　limiting　the　numbers　of　this　Society；　and　then；　as　to　other　changes　which　they　might　think　beneficial。　　The　names　of　the　gentlemen　composing　this　Committee　were：

Dr。　Wollaston；　　　　　　　　　　　Mr。　Herschel；　Dr。　Young；　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Mr。　Babbage；　Mr。　Davies　Gilbert；　　　　　　Captain　Beaufort；　Mr。　South；　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Captain　Kater。

The　importance　of　the　various　improvements　suggested　was　different　in　the　eyes　of　different　members。　　The　idea　of　rendering　the　Society　so　select　as　to　make　it　an　object　of　ambition　to　men　of　science　to　be　elected　into　it；　was　by　no　means　new；　as　the　following　extract　from　the　Minutes　of　the　Council　will　prove：

〃MINUTES　OF　COUNCIL。　　August　27；　1674　Present；

Sir　W。　Petty；　Vice…President；　Sir　John　Lowther；　Sir　John　Cutler；　Sir　Christopher　Wren；　Mr。　Oldenburgh；　Sir　Paul　Neile。

〃It　was　considered　by　this　Council；　that　to　make　the　Society　prosper；　good　experiments　must　be　in　the　first　place　provided　to　make　the　weekly　meetings　considerable；　and　that　the　expenses　for　making　these　experiments　must　be　secured　by　legal　subscriptions　for　paying　the　contributors；　which　done；　the　Council　might　then　with　confidence　proceed　to　the　EJECTION　OF　USELESS　FELLOWS。〃

The　reformers　of　modern　times　were　less　energetic　in　the　measures　they　recommended。　Dr。　Wollaston　and　some　others　thought　the　limitation　of　the　numbers　of　the　Society　to　be　the　most　essential　point；　and　400　was　suggested　as　a　proper　number　to　be　recommended；　in　case　a　limitation　should　be　ultimately　resolved　upon。　　I　confess；　such　a　limit　did　not　appear　to　me　to　bring　great　advantages；　especially　when　I　reflected　how　long　a　time　must　have　elapsed　before　the　714　members　of　the　Society　could　be　reduced　by　death　to　that　number。　　And　I　also　thought　that　as　long　as　those　who　alone　sustained　the　reputation　of　the　Society　by　their　writings　and　discoveries　should　be　admitted　into　it　on　precisely　the　same　terms；　and　on　the　payment　of　the　same　sum　of　money　as　other　gentlemen　who　contributed　only　with　their　purse；　it　could　never　be　an　object　of　ambition　to　any　man　of　science　to　be　enrolled　on　its　list。

With　this　view；　and　also　to　assist　those　who　wished　for　a　limitation；　I　suggested　a　plan　extremely　simple　in　its　nature；　and　which　would　become　effective　immediately。　　I　proposed　that；　in　the　printed　list　of　the　Royal　Society；　a　star　should　be　placed　against　the　name　of　each　Fellow　who　had　contributed　two　or　more　papers　which　had　been　printed　in　the　Transactions；　or　that　such　a　list　should　be　printed　separately　at　the　end。

At　that　period　there　were　109　living　members　who　had　contributed　papers　to　the　Transactions；　and　they　were　thus　arranged：

37　Contributors　of　。　。　1　paper　21　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　2　papers　19　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　3　ditto　5　　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　4　ditto　3　　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　5　ditto　3　　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　。　6　ditto　＇2　。　。　。　。　　from　7　to　12　ditto　14　。　。　。　of　more　than　12　papers。

100　Contributing　Fellows　of　the　Royal　Society。　589　Papers　contributed　by　them。

Now　the　immediate　effect　of　printing　such　a　list　would　be　the　division　of　the　Society　into　two　classes。　　Supposing　two　or　more　papers　necessary　for　placing　a　Fellow　in　the　first　class；　that　class　would　only　consist　of　seventy…two　members；　which　is　nearly　the　same　as　the　number　of　those　of　the　Institute　of　France。　　If　only　those　who　had　contributed　three　or　more　were　admitted；　then　this　class　would　be　reduced　to　fifty…one。　In　either　of　these　cases　it　would　obviously　become　a　matter　of　ambition　to　belong　to　the　first　class；　and　a　more　minute　investigation　into　the　value　of　each　paper　would　naturally　take　place　before　it　was　admitted　into　the　Transactions。　　Or　it　might　be　established　that　such　papers　only　should　be　allowed　to　count；　as　the　Committee；　who　reported　them　as　fit　to　be　printed；　should　also　certify。　　The　great　objection　made　to　such　an　arrangement　was；　that　it　would　be　displeasing　to　the　rest　of　the　Society；　and　that　they　had　a　vested　right　（having　entered　the　Society　when　no　distinction　was　made　in　the　lists）　to　have　them　always　continued　without　one。

Without　replying　to　this　shadow　of　an　argument　of　vested　rights；　I　will　only　remark　that　he　who　maintains　this　view　pays　a　very　ill　compliment　to　the　remaining　600　members　of　the　Royal　Society；　since　he　does；　in　truth；　maintain　that　those　gentlemen　who；　from　their　position；　accidentally　derive　reputation　which　does　not　belong　to　them；　are