Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley — Volume 1Huxley, Thomas Henry
Science
Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley — Volume 1
Huxley, Thomas Henry
Huxley, Thomas Henry, 1825-1895; Naturalists -- England -- Biography
Edward Frankland (1825-1899), Foreign Secretary R.S., K.C.B., then
Professor of Chemistry in the Royal Institution, and afterwards at the
Royal College of Science.
Thomas Archer Hirst, F.R.S., then mathematical master at University
College School. (In 1865 appointed Professor of Physics; in 1867, of
Pure Mathematics, at University College, London; and from 1873 to 1883
Director of Naval Studies at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich; an old
Marburg student, and intimate friend of Tyndall, whom he had succeeded
at Queenwood College in 1853. He died in 1892.)
Joseph Dalton Hooker, F.R.S., K.C.S.I., President of the Royal Society
1873, the great botanist, then Assistant Director at Kew Gardens to his
father, Sir William Hooker.
Sir John Lubbock, Bart., F.R.S., M.P., the youngest of the nine, who had
already made his mark in archeology, and was then preparing to bring out
his "Prehistoric Times."
Herbert Spencer, who had already published "Social Statics," "Principles
of Psychology," and "First Principles."
William Spottiswoode (1825-1883), F.R.S., Treasurer and afterwards
President of the Royal Society 1878, who carried on the business of the
Queen's printer as well as being deeply versed in mathematics,
philosophy, and languages.
John Tyndall, F.R.S., (1820-1893), who had been for the last eleven
years Professor of Natural Philosophy at the Royal Institution, where he
succeeded Faraday as superintendent.
The one object, then, of the club was to afford a certain meeting-ground
for a few friends who were bound together by personal regard and
community of scientific interests, yet were in danger of drifting apart
under the stress of circumstances. They dined together on the first
Thursday in each month, except July, August, and September, before the
meeting of the Royal Society, of which all were members excepting Mr.
Spencer, the usual dining hour being six, so that they should be in good
time for the society's meeting at eight; and a minute of December 5,
1885, when Huxley was treasurer and revived the ancient custom of making
some note of the conversation, throws light on the habits of the club.
"Got scolded," he writes, "for dining at 6.30. Had to prove we have
dined at 6.30 for a long time by evidence of waiter." (At the February
meeting, however, "agreed to fix dinner hour six hereafter.") "Talked
politics, scandal, and the three classes of witnesses--liars, d--d
liars, and experts. Huxley gave account of civil list pension. Sat to
the unexampled hour of 10 p.m., except Lubbock who had to go to
Linnean."
For some time there was a summer meeting, which consisted of a week-end
excursion of members and their wives (x's + yv's, as the correct formula
ran) to some place like Burnham or Maidenhead, Oxford or Windsor; but
this grew increasingly difficult to arrange, and dropped before very
long.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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