The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1214: Chapter 139: Chronicles of the Royal Society’s Feuds (Part 2)

Although Banks struggled to restore his public image after this, the mockery and ridicule directed at him never ceased until he stepped down as President of the Royal Society in 1820.

After Banks’s reign over the Royal Society ended, the Society experienced a brief period of peace. The esteemed Great Chemist and Great Inventor, mentor to Faraday, Sir Humphry Davy, was sworn in as the new President of the Royal Society in 1820.

However, although Davy was academically successful in gaining respect, he was naturally jealous and couldn’t tolerate others surpassing him. Even Faraday, whom he personally nurtured, couldn’t escape Davy’s deliberate suppression. Therefore, during this time, the Royal Society’s atmosphere improved, but only slightly compared to before.

In 1827, after the death of Humphry Davy, Davis Gilbert, the Treasurer of the Royal Society, succeeded as the President.

But Mr. Gilbert was clearly a smart man. He knew very well that he neither had the solid academic background like Davy nor could he mingle and gather sponsorships like Banks, so the position of President of the Royal Society was not one he could comfortably hold.

So, immediately upon his election, Gilbert started searching for a successor.

Of course, while seeking a new President, Gilbert harbored some ulterior motives.

For someone like him, the position of President of the Royal Society was a cumbersome one with no benefits, yet for the well-heeled upper class, the title of President was a rare treasure.

Thus, at that time, Gilbert leaned towards finding a political heavyweight to succeed him, hoping to gain some advantages in the process.

Sure enough, once he released the news, many people quickly showed interest. Among the candidates, Gilbert was most inclined towards the then Home Secretary, Tory Party leader, and Arthur’s former supervisor, Sir Robert Peel.

The rumor that Robert Peel might succeed as President of the Royal Society circulated quickly on Fleet Street and immediately provoked a strong backlash from the scientific community.

Geologist Adam Sedgwick wrote a vehement critique: “If the Society’s Council plans to become a purely political institution, then the status of science will inevitably decline; by then, we will inevitably bow down to the leadership of political patrons!”

Upon seeing such a situation, Sir Peel hurriedly issued a statement declaring he had no intention of vying for the position of President. After all, he sought the title for gilding his reputation, not to attract controversy.

After repelling Robert Peel, the scientists’ morale soared, and they promptly put forward their candidate — astronomer John Herschel.

However, Gilbert, keen on trading the President position for a lucrative post, was not inclined to agree with this approach. Moreover, as the long-serving Treasurer of the Society, Gilbert was well aware of the dire state of the Royal Society’s finances.

He believed that if the Royal Society couldn’t closely integrate with politics, the Society would struggle to secure sufficient policy support and substantial financial sponsorship in the future. Therefore, choosing a politician as President could encourage scientific research.

In this aspect, Gilbert didn’t just talk without action. During his interim presidency, the Royal Society’s financial situation greatly improved. Under Gilbert’s lead, the Society not only established a ‘Donations Fund’ to attract sponsorships but also received a substantial legacy of 8,000 British Pounds from the deceased Earl Bridgewater to develop scientific endeavors.

After a lengthy three-year tug-of-war, Gilbert finally decided to gracefully resign, choosing what he considered a suitable candidate — the Duke of Sussex, brother to the King, and vowed to fully support the Prince’s election.

Gilbert’s choice was indeed cunning. As a member of the House of Lords, the Duke of Sussex could rally political resources for the Royal Society, and he adorned the Society with a truly royal aura. Most importantly, among the numerous royal family members, the Duke of Sussex was widely esteemed as a liberal advocating the abolition of slavery and the “Bloody Code”.

As a result, even scientists who initially vehemently opposed political interference in the Royal Society were divided.

Some insisted that nomination of the Duke of Sussex as President was disrespectful and mismatched the seat left by Newton.

There were voices shouting: “There is no ‘Royal Shortcut’ to knowledge, so why should the highest honor that knowledge confers have shortcuts?”

Meanwhile, some members harbored expectations for the Duke.

Doctor and antiquarian Thomas Pettigrew publicly stated: “The Duke is a patriot and a longtime supporter and sponsor of scientific endeavors, making him extremely suitable to steer Britain’s first scientific institution.”

And the voting process for the presidential election revealed the internal rift within the Royal Society.

According to the tally, the Duke of Sussex received 119 votes of support, while John Herschel, ranking second, narrowly lost with 111 votes.

Upon assuming the position, the Duke of Sussex understood the difficulty of the task at hand. To gain scientists’ trust, he implemented several important reforms.

He first announced the establishment of specialized committees for various disciplines in 1830, changing the organizational model of the Society and advocating for scientific research in different fields to develop towards more specialization and refinement.

Subsequently, he introduced multiple regulations to improve the scientific evaluation and award system and established a dedicated academic committee to draft and refine the Royal Society’s honor granting system.

To avoid conflict of interest, the Duke of Sussex specifically stipulated that awards should not be granted to committee members and that award recipients must be alive, with their research findings presented to the academic committee in quantifiable and direct forms such as publications or lectures.

Regarding his opponent in the presidential election, John Herschel, the Duke of Sussex was generous with praise, often commenting: “Mr. Herschel is the perfect embodiment of a natural philosopher, like a character straight out of a novel.”

In the initial years, these measures by the Duke of Sussex indeed stabilized the emotions of the Royal Society scientists. However, as parliamentary reform passed, the ever-progressive scientists naturally focused again on the chronic issues facing the Royal Society.

The Royal Society’s membership entry clause had long adhered to the regulation from 1730, where candidates only needed to submit a certificate and the names of three endorsers to apply for membership. Furthermore, there were no restrictions on the number of members applying and being elected annually.

This point had long been frowned upon by many.

Before heading to the European Continent, Arthur visited the Royal Society-sponsored scientific lectures but didn’t want to become an Society member due to considerations in this aspect. Although he could barely be considered a natural philosopher researcher, his political background was indeed too sensitive.

Joining the Royal Society at this time wouldn’t benefit him and would put the Duke of Sussex in a difficult position as the President. Worse, it might even turn some Royal Society members who held good relations with him into adversaries.

The Duke of Sussex’s visit to the University of Gottingen this time, aside from supporting the Kingdom of Hanover’s constitutional reform and revisiting his alma mater, held the responsibility of discussing scientific cooperation with the Berlin Academy of Sciences Director, Alexander von Humboldt.

Humboldt, dedicated to global scientific collaboration, had recently written to the Duke, requesting the British Government and the Royal Society to approve the establishment of permanent magnetic observation stations in the English overseas territories of Australia, the Cape of Good Hope, and the Caribbean Islands.

During the Duke’s visit to Gottingen, he would engage in in-depth discussions with Humboldt regarding the specifics of this scientific cooperation. If this collaboration could be successful, even if it couldn’t suppress scientists’ calls for reforming the membership entry system, at least it could replace old headlines with new ones, diverting their attention elsewhere.

Arthur listened to the Duke’s narration in the reception room and felt it was indeed a thorny issue.

The Duke sat on the sofa, holding a glass of red wine and smiling wryly: “Arthur, you’ve been the Academic Director at the University of Gottingen for a while now. I believe you should understand how challenging it is to interact with scientists.”

Arthur was about to speak with a smile when suddenly a violent argument erupted outside the reception room.

“Oh! My God! Look, isn’t this our indomitable warrior Heinrich Heine?”

“Ha! Mr. Disraeli, I didn’t expect you to be here as well.”