Decline of Science in England by Charles Babbage (red white royal blue txt) đź“–
- Author: Charles Babbage
- Performer: -
Book online «Decline of Science in England by Charles Babbage (red white royal blue txt) 📖». Author Charles Babbage
I am, Sir,
Your most obedient humble servant,
JOHN BARROW.
AT THE COURT AT WINDSOR,
27th October, 1828.
PRESENT,
The King’s most Excellent Majesty in Council,
Whereas, there was this day read at the Board a Memorial from the
Right Honourable the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, dated
4th of this instant, in the words following, viz.—
Whereas, by an Act of the 58th of his late Majesty’s reign, cap.
20, instituted “An Act for the more effectually discovering the
Longitude at sea, and encouraging attempts to find a Northern
passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and to approach
the North Pole,” three persons well versed in the sciences of
Mathematics, Astronomy, or Navigation, were appointed as a
Resident Committee of the Board of Commissioners for discovery
of the Longitude at sea, and a Superintendent of the Nautical
Almanac and of Chronometers was also appointed, with such
salaries for the execution of those services as his Majesty
might, by any Order in Council, be pleased to direct; and,
whereas, your Majesty was in consequence, by your Order in
Council of the 27th of May, 1828, most graciously pleased to
direct, that the three said Resident Commissioners should be paid
at the rate of 100L. a year each; and by your further Order in
Council, of the 31st October, 1818, that the Superintendent of
the Nautical Almanac should be allowed a salary of 300L., and the
Superintendent of Chronometers 100L. a year; and, whereas, the
act above mentioned has been repealed, and the Board of Longitude
abolished; and doubts have therefore arisen, whether the said
Orders in Council shall still continue in force; and whereas it
is expedient that the said appointments be continued; We beg
leave most humbly to submit to your Majesty, that your Majesty
may be graciously pleased, by your Order in Council, to direct
that the said offices of Superintendent of the Nautical Almanac,
and of Superintendent of Chronometers; and also the three persons
before-mentioned as a Resident Committee, to advise with the
Commissioners for executing the Office of Lord High Admiral, on
all questions of discoveries, inventions, calculations, and other
scientific subjects, be continued, with the same duties and
salaries, and under the same regulations as heretofore; and
further beg most humbly to propose, that such three persons to
form the Resident Committee, be chosen annually by the
Commissioners for executing the office of Lord High Admiral, from
among the Council of the Royal Society.
His Majesty, having taken the said Memorial into consideration,
was pleased, by and with the advice of his Privy Council, to
approve thereof and the Right Honourable the Lords Commissioners
of the Admiralty are to give the necessary directions herein
accordingly.
(Signed) JAMES HILLER.
Thus, it appeared that the Admiralty were to choose three persons
from among the Council of the Royal Society, who were to have a
hundred a year each during the pleasure of the Admiralty.
Such an open attack on the independence of the Council could not
escape the remarks of some of the members, and a kind of mild
remonstrance was made, in which the real ground of complaint was
omitted.
MINUTE OF COUNCIL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY.
December 18, 1823.
RESOLVED, That in acknowledging the communication of the Lords
Commissioners of the Admiralty, made to the Council of the Royal
Society, on the 20th of November last, it be represented to them
that inconvenience may arise from the plan therein specified,
from the circumstance of all the members of the Council being
annually elected by the Society at large; and that body being
consequently subject to continual changes from year to year.
This was answered by the following letter from the Secretary of
the Admiralty :
ADMIRALTY OFFICE, DEC. 30, 1828.
SIR,
Having submitted to my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty your
Letter of the 18th instant, subjoining an extract from the
Minutes of the proceedings of the Council of the Royal Society,
arising out of the communication made to them by their Lordships,
on the subject of his Majesty’s Order in Council, of the fifth of
October last, I have their Lordships’ command to acquaint you,
for the information of the President and Council, and with
reference to what they have stated as to the inconvenience which
may arise from the intended plan of limiting their Lordships’
choice of members of the Resident Committee of Scientific Advice
to the Council of the Royal Society, that their Lordships were
induced to recommend this plan to his Majesty as a mark of
respect to the Society, and as a pledge to the public of the
qualification of the persons chosen. Nor did their Lordships
apprehend any inconvenience from the circumstance stated in the
Minute of the Council, of the Members being annually elected, as
the Resident Committee is also annually appointed; and, in point
of fact, no practical inconvenience has been felt during the ten
years that the Committee has been in existence, as four of the
distinguished gentlemen whom their Lordships have successively
appointed to this office, have continued during the whole period
to be members of the Council; and if any such difficulty or
inconvenience should hereafter arise, their Lordships will be
ready to take proper measures for remedying it.
Their Lordships’ intention therefore is, to propose to Captain
Kater and Mr. Herschel, to continue to fill this office; and to
Dr.Young, who had resigned it, on receiving the appointment of
Secretary to the late Board of Longitude, to be appointed.
I am, Sir, Your obedient servant,
JOHN BARROW.
The representation made by the Council was not calculated to
produce much effect; but the Secretary of the Admiralty, who knew
well the stuff of which Councils of the Royal Society are
composed, might have spared the bitter irony of making their
Lordships say, that they recommended this plan “AS A MARK OF
RESPECT TO THE SOCIETY,” and “AS A PLEDGE TO THE PUBLIC OF THE
QUALIFICATIONS OF THE PERSONS CHOSEN,” whilst he delicately hints
to them their dependent situation, by observing, that the
“RESIDENT COMMITTEE IS ALSO ANNUALLY APPOINTED.”
The Secretary knew that, PRACTICALLY speaking, it had been the
custom for years for the President of the Royal Society to
nominate the Council, and consequently he knew that every
scientific adviser must first be indebted to the President for
being qualified to advise, and then to the Admiralty for deriving
profit from his counsel. Thus then their Lordships, as a “MARK
OF RESPECT FOR THE SOCIETY” confirm the dependence of the Council
on the President, by making his nomination a qualification for
place, and establish a new dependence of the same Council on
themselves, by giving a hundred pounds each year to such three
members of that Council as they may select. “THE PLEDGE” they
offer “TO THE PUBLIC, OF THE QUALIFICATIONS OF THE PERSONS
CHOSEN,” is, that Mr. Davies Gilbert had previously thought they
would do for his Council.
What the Society, when they are acquainted with it, may think of
this mark of respect, or what value the public may put upon this
pledge, must be left to themselves to express.
In looking over the list of officers and Council of the Royal
Society the weakest perhaps (for purposes of science) which was
ever made, a consolation arises from the possibility of some of
those who were placed there by way of compliment, occasionally
attending. In that contracted field Lord Melville’s penetration
may not be uselessly employed; and the soldier who presides over
our colonies may judge whether the principles which pervade it
are open and liberal as his own.
The inconvenience to the public service from such an arrangement
is, that the number out of which the advisers are selected must,
in any case, be very small; and may, from several circumstances,
be considerably reduced. In a council fairly selected, to judge
of the merits of the various subjects likely to be brought under
the consideration of the Society, anatomy, chemistry, and the
different branches of natural history, will share with the
numerous departments of physical science, in claiming to be
represented by persons competently skilled in those subjects.
These claims being satisfied, but few places will be left to fill
up with mathematicians, astronomers, and persons conversant with
nautical astronomy.
Let us look at the present Council. Is there a single
mathematician amongst them, if we except Mr Barlow, whose
deservedly high reputation rests chiefly on his physical and
experimental inquiries, and whom the President and the Admiralty
have clearly shown they do not look upon as a mathematician, by
not appointing him an adviser?
Small as the number of those persons on the Council, who are
conversant with the three subjects named in the Act of
Parliament, must usually be, it may be still further diminished.
The President, when he forms his Council, may decline naming
those members who are most fit for such situations. Or, on the
other hand, some of those members who are best qualified for
them, from their knowledge, may decline the honour of being the
nominees of Mr. Gilbert, as Vice Presidents, Treasurers, or
Councillors, and thus lending their names to support a system of
which they disapprove.
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
Comments (0)