Book Description

Excerpt from The Journal of Science, Vol. 2: And Annals of Astronomy, Biology, Geology, Industrial Arts, Manufactures, and Technology (Monthly, Formerly "the Quarterly Journal of Science;") In looking over the list we are reminded in a striking manner of a fundamental difference between the Royal Society and the Academies of the Continent, a difference which may perhaps be the best described by the term com prehensiveness. For, beside the class of Fellows selected, in accordance with our recent legislation, from the members of the Privy Council, it has always been our custom to gather into our ranks not only men of eminence in Science proper, and in subjects which border on it, but also men of distinction in other paths of life, provided that they have followed those paths on principles which are analogous to our own, and which by no undue strain of the analogy may themselves be called scientific. In illustration of this remark, I might point in the present list to the man of letters, to the architect, to the politician, to those who have honourably served in various departments of the public service, to the man of wealth who has turned his large means to large-minded purposes for the welfare of the people. And although the act of erasing them from our list marks our loss, yet the fact of having once reckoned them among our number is in itself a gain, and must help to enlist the sympathies of the world outside in our special function, viz., the promotion of natural knowledge, while at the same time it tends to enlarge our own. To mention briefly a few of these - In Sir James Mathe son we have lost a wealthy and enlightened member, who devoted much of his time, his energy, and his means in promoting the welfare, both moral and intellectual, of the people among whom he made his home. In the Marquis of Tweeddale we have an instance, hap pily not singular, of one who, without any professional connexion with the subject, contrived amidst the distractions of active service to lay the foundations of a solid knowledge of one branch of science; while in later years he became an active collector and the author of valuable contributions to the publications of the Geological Societies over which he presided. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.