Page:Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Vol 4.djvu/115

Rh the general interests of the Royal Society. I allude to the return of Sir John Herschel to this country, after an absence of several years, devoted, from a sense of filial duty, to the completion of that great task which he felt to have been transmitted to him as an inheritance from his venerable and illustrious father. I have so often had oc- casion to allude, from this Chair, to the merits of that distinguished person, and to express the respect which I felt for his great attain- ments, the pride with which I cherished his friendship, the deep in- terest which I took in his labours, and my admiration of the truly modest and philosophical spirit in which they were conducted, that I should be guilty of a very superfluous repetition of what I have before addressed to you, if I ventured to enlarge upon them now ; but I should ill discharge my duty, whilst still entitled to address you as the official head of the scientific establishment of this coun- try, if I omitted to avail myself of this or any other opportunity of expressing the gratification which I experienced in June last, when called upon to preside at that great convention of the most eminent men who adorn our country, who combined together with such sin- gular unanimity and enthusiasm to pay their homage to science and knowledge, and those great interests with which their cultivation and progress are connected, by paying so signal a tribute of respect and honour to the most accomplished and the most devoted of our living philosophers. I feel assured, Gentlemen, that the proceed- ings of that memorable day will produce marked and durable ef- fects upon the scientific prospects of our country, by proving that pre-eminent merit will meet with sympathy at least, if not with re- ward, and as offering sure and unequivocal indications both of the power and direction of public opinion amongst the most cultivated and enlightened classes of society ; and it was chiefly as an expres- sion of the deference paid by the government of this country to the opinions and wishes of the scientific world, that I rejoiced in being authorized and requested by the prime minister of the crown to offer to Sir John Herschel the rank of baronet, on the occasion of the coronation of Her Majesty, though well comdnced that such an accession of social rank was not required to give dignity to one whose name is written in the imperishable records of the great sy- stem of the universe.

It would ill become me, while gratefully acknowledging my sense of your past kindnesses towards myself, to venture to refer to the name of my presumed successor in the Chair of this Society in any terms which might be interpreted as an undue anticipation of the result of this day's proceedings, or as appearing to interfere with the free use of the franchise which every Fellow possesses, and is ex- pected and required to exercise ; but I cannot be ignorant of the various accomplishments, the courteous and unassuming manners, the warmth of heart and active benevolence which distinguish the nobleman who has been nominated by the Council : and I rejoice most sincerely that the Society possesses amongst its members, as a candidate for your suffrages, one so well qualified to preside at your meetings, and to watch over your interests.