Address / of George Gabriel Stokes.

  • Sir George Stokes, 1st Baronet
Date:
[1869?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Address / of George Gabriel Stokes. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    I must turn for a few moments to another application recently made to Government, which has not been successful. The application I have in view' was made, not by the British Association or other Scientific Societies in their corporate capacity, but by a body composed of the Presidents of the British Association and of the Royal and other leading Scientific Societies ; and its object was, not the promotion of Science directly, but the recognition of preeminent scientific merit. In the history of science fewr names, indeed, hold so prominent a place as that of Paraday. The perfect novelty of prin¬ ciple and recondite nature of many of his great discoveries are such as to bear the impress of genius of the highest order, and to form an epoch in the advance of science; and wdiile his scientific labours excited the admiration of men of science throughout the world, his singularly genial disposition, and modest unassuming character, won for him the love of those who had the happiness of numbering him among their personal friends. At a meeting of the Presidents of the Scientific Societies to which I have alluded, it wTas resolved to erect a marble statue in memory of Paraday. He was a man of whom England may well be proud, and it was thought that it would be a graceful recognition of his merits if the monument were erected at the public expense. The present Chancellor of the Ex¬ chequer, however, did not think it right that the recognition of scien¬ tific merit, however eminent, should fall on the taxation of the country, though even in a pecuniary point of view the country has received so much benefit from the labours of scientific men. The carrying out of the resolu¬ tion being thus left to private exertion, a public meeting, presided over by H.B.H. the Prince of Wales, was held in the Royal Institution, an establishment which has the honour of being identified with Paraday’s scientific career. At this Meeting a Committee was formed to carry out the object, and a sub¬ scription list commenced. By permission of the Secretaries of this Asso¬ ciation, an office has been opened in the reception-room, where those Mem¬ bers of the Association who may be desirous of taking part in the movement will have every facility afforded them. In chemistry, I do not believe that any great step has been made within the last year; but perhaps there is no science in which an earnest worker is so sure of being rewarded by making some substantial acquisition to our knowledge, though it may not be of the nature of one of those grand discoveries which from time to time stamp their impress on different brandies of science. I may be permitted to refer to one or two discoveries wdiich are exceedingly curious, and some of which may prove of considerable practical importance. The Turaco or Plantain-eater of the Cape of Good Hope is celebrated for its beautiful plumage. A portion of the wings is of a fine red colour. This red colouring-matter has been investigated by Professor Church, who finds it to contain nearly six per cent, of copper, which cannot bo distinguished by
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