Page:History of the Royal Astronomical Society (1923).djvu/202

 174 HISTORY OF THE [1870-80 He was then appointed Inspector of Scientific Instruments for India, and in that capacity was the first Superintendent of the depot at Lambeth, where an Observatory was erected for him, in which he did much good work in designing and testing apparatus. He joined the Society in 1861, served on the Council almost con- tinuously from 1863, and was chosen Foreign Secretary in 1870. Many papers on instrumental subjects will be found in the indexes under his name. At the meeting at Norwich in 1868, the British Association, at the instance of Colonel Strange, took into consideration the subject of Government Aid for Science. This led to little result, but in April 1872, Colonel Strange, claiming to follow the lead of Sir George Airy, who a few months earlier had proposed that an observatory should be established solely for the observation of the phenomena of Jupiter's satellites, read a paper before our Society on " The Insufficiency of Existing National Observatories." In this he asserted that permanent national provision for the cultivation of the Physics of Astronomy was urgently needed. At the meeting of the Council in May he proposed that " the President be authorised, on behalf of the Fellows and Council of the Royal Astronomical Society, to bring before the Royal Commission on Scientific Instruction and the Advancement of Science, now sitting, the desirability of providing for the cultivation of the Physics of Astronomy." The Commission referred to was under the Chairmanship of the Duke of Devonshire, and had been in existence for two or three years. It had been established, it is said, largely owing to Colonel Strange's persistent advocacy of the necessity for Government aid for the promotion of scientific research. Mr. Lockyer was Secretary of this Commission. It had at the time practically completed the first part of its work, which was concerned with scientific instruction. After discussion by the Council in May, consideration of Colonel Strange's proposal was adjourned to the June meeting, and then to a Special Meeting of the Council on June 21, and again to another on June 28. At this last meeting the following motions proposed by Dr. Huggins were taken into consideration : 1. That the President be authorised, on behalf of the Council and Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society, to bring before the Royal Commissioners on Scientific Instruction and on the Advance- ment of Science, now sitting, the importance of further aid being afforded to the cultivation of the Physics of Astronomy. 2. The Council think such aid would be most effectually given by increased assistance where needed to existing Public Observa- tories in the direction recommended by the heads of those observa- tories, especially that at the Cape of Good Hope, and by the estab-