The Royal Institution: Its Founder and First ProfessorsJones, Bence
History
The Royal Institution: Its Founder and First Professors
Jones, Bence
Davy, Humphry, Sir, 1778-1829; Royal Institution of Great Britain; Rumford, Benjamin, Graf von, 1753-1814; Young, Thomas, 1773-1829
It has been for some time my desire and intention to resign
my place in the Committee of Managers, but the state of the
Institution has made me apprehensive of some inconvenience from
withdrawing before the new constitution was formed and the primary
difficulties surmounted.
Nothing more, I conceive, is now wanting except a continuance
of that union and friendly co-operation by which it has been
established; and, as I can no longer continue a regular attendant,
I resign my situation as a manager of the Royal Institution. At
the same time I beg leave to add that if the annual meeting should
hereafter elect me a visitor, I will with great pleasure continue
my services in that situation. I beg you will communicate the above
to the next monthly meeting, and have the honour to be, with the
greatest respect, your obedient and very faithful Servant,
T. BERNARD.
The managers resolved ‘that they could not avoid on this occasion
expressing their deep regret at the prospect of losing the assistance
of a gentleman whose zeal, abilities, and indefatigable industry had
so eminently contributed to the prosperity of the Institution. They
therefore unanimously expressed their wish that Sir Thomas Bernard
would consent to defer his resignation till the annual meeting in May.’
The next week Sir T. Bernard confirmed his resignation, and Lord
Darnley was elected in his place.
At the annual meeting in May Sir Thomas Bernard was not nominated as a
visitor, but the following November he was unanimously elected. In 1815
he was again elected a manager, and he was re-elected until his death
in the autumn of 1818.
In February the energy of the committees of the Institution gave
some signs of activity. The Committee of Chemistry and Geology, &c.,
chose Humphry Davy chairman, Charles Hatchett chairman, and James
Laird, M.D., secretary. The Committee of Mathematics, Mechanics, and
Mechanical Inventions elected the Earl of Stanhope chairman, the Hon.
R. Clifford chairman, and John Day, Esq., secretary. The Committee
of General Science, Literature, and Arts elected Daniel Moore, Esq.,
F.R.S., L.S., chairman, John Disney chairman, and John Hinckley, Esq.,
secretary. For eleven months Mr. Hinckley had acted as ‘honorary
secretary assistant,’ and he wished to be elected ‘honorary secretary’
of the Institution; but in May Mr. Guillemard was elected secretary in
the place of Mr. Auriol, who for nine years had apparently taken very
slight care of the records of the Institution.
In March it was proposed at the monthly meeting of members that
a professorship of astronomy should be created. Reports from the
Committee of General Science were read.
This year all the bills due for 1807, 1808, 1809, and 1810 were paid.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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