PUBLISHED AT THE OFFICE, BOY COURT, LUDGATE HIIse to be pursued in

AND SOLD BY ALL BOOKSELLERS.

it the decision on such
con or removal of Fellows

MDCCCLXXVI.

THE CHEMICAL NEWS.

VOLUME XXXIV.

EDITED BY WILLIAM CROOKES, F.R.S., &c.

No. 867.-JULY 7, 1876.

THE CHEMICAL SOCIETY.

WE referred last week to the fact that nine years ago there existed a similar state of affairs at the Chemical Society to that now existing. So precisely parallel are the two cases that the remarks we then made in this journal respecting the Charter and Bye-Laws of the Society are, we think, equally applicable to the present case. We therefore reproduce this article in the hope that a more careful consideration of the Charter and Bye-Laws will lead to the adoption of such measures as will render the recurrence of such disputes impossible.

"On his admission, each Fellow received the regulations of the Society, together with sundry other formal documents; but we venture to say that not many looked at them a second time, and few will now be able to lay hands on a copy of the Charter and Bye-laws, to which we now propose to direct attention. When everything is going on smoothly the laws and regnlations of the Society are dormant.

meeting is intended that which is now commonly called an ordinary' meeting. The term ordinary meeting strictly means regular or customary meeting: a general meeting means one public or common to the whole of the Fellows. Custom has sanctioned the omission of the word 'general' as qualifying the ordinary meetings, but it is still retained in Bye-law, which speaks of an extraordinary general meeting, which, logically and grammatically, can only mean a general meeting held extra, or in addition, to the ordinary bi-monthly meetings.

"The term general meeting' occurs several times in the Charter, but nowhere do we find the terms 'ordinary' and 'anniversary' meetings. When, however, we refer to the regulations of other learned societies, no longer can there be any doubt as to the meaning of the term 'general' meeting. In the Charter of the Royal Society no mention is made of meetings of the members, ordinary, extraordinary, or general. But in the Charter of the Zoological Society the term 'general' meeting is used in a sense applicable only to ordinary meetings; "It now appears that for many years the Society has and in the Bye-laws the monthly meetings of the Society been acting contrary to the Charter in electing Fellows, are invariably spoken of as general meetings,' or honorary and foreign Members, and Associates, accord-ordinary general meetings.' In the Charters of the ing to the existing Bye-laws. Linnæan and Geological Societies likewise the term general meeting' is used to express the ordinary meetings of the members, and in the Bye-laws these are invariably termed 'general' meetings; the 9th section of the rules of the latter Society, in fact, state that the general meetings to be held by the Society shall be of three kinds :- -1. Annual; 2. Special; 3. Ordinary.'

By the third paragraph of the Charter of Incorporation, granted to the Society in 1848, it is declared"That at all General Meetings and meetings of the Council the majority present and having a right to vote thereat respectively shall decide upon the matters propounded at such meetings.'

"Again, the concluding paragraph of the Charter

declares

"That no resolution or bye-law shall, on any account or pretence whatsoever, be made by the said body politic and corporate in opposition to the general scope, true intent and meaning of this our Charter; and that if any such rule or bye-law shall be made, the same shall be absolutely null and void to all intents, effects, constructions, and purposes whatsoever.'

"Now, it is very evident that the Bye-law, making the election of a candidate depend upon the votes of threefourth of the Fellows present, is in direct contravention to the "true intent and meaning" of the first-quoted paragraph of the Charter; and therefore such Bye-law is, according to the terms of the second citation from the Charter, absolutely null and void to all intents, effects, constructions, and purposes whatsoever.'

“But it may be argued that the third paragraph of the Charter refers only to anniversary meetings or extraordinary meetings of the Society. An attentive examination will, however, show that by the term 'general''

It cannot, therefore, be doubted that the term 'general' meeting in the third paragraph of the Charter of the Chemical Society means the same as the term 'ordinary' meeting does in the Bye-laws.

"No one, we imagine, will dispute that the election of Fellows is a 'matter propounded' at a meeting upon which the majority present' are to decide. On the contrary, the question as to whether a candidate is to be admitted to the Fellowship of the Chemical Society is a very important matter propounded to those present who have a right to vote, and the question, above all others, which should be carried by a numerical majority.

"In strict logical interpretation, therefore, those candidates who were blackballed at the recent meetings of the Society were excluded from the Fellowship in error. A numerical majority of voters were in favour of their admission, and at the present time the blackballees are as strictly entitled to the letters F.C.S. as are any of the blackballers.

"We confess we see only one course to be pursued in respect to the Bye-laws which remit the decision on such important matters as the election or removal of Fellows