PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O. 885
9 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO
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suggested that if they would consent to £500 a year being diverted to the professor- ship of protozoology, this sum could be added to the grant from the Rhodes Trust; making £700 a year for five years, which would be sufficient to start a professor without an assistant.
Sir T. Barlow and others pointed out, in reference to this suggestion, that it would be most difficult to get a man of sufficient standing to accept a professorship for five years only, as he would probably have to relinquish a permanent appointment for the purpose; and that it was also possible that the University of London might be unwilling to appoint a professor on a temporary footing. Mr. Holderness, however, cited an instance in which the University of Oxford had done so.
A suggestion was made that a professor might be obtained who would devote only a part of his time to the duties of a professor of protozoology, in which case the temporary character of the endowment would not matter; but Colonel Bruce pointed out that this was not practicable, since every existing professor would have his time too fully occupied with his permanent work.
A suggestion that the proposed professorship should be abandoned was generally negatived; in the worst event the grant from the Rhodes Trust might be used to start a fund for the permanent endowment of the professorship.
It was also suggested that an appeal for the money might be made in the "Times" by a letter, signed by Mr. Lyttelton or Mr. Chamberlain; and that it might be a useful preliminary to such an appeal if Mr. Chamberlain would call attention to the matter in his speech at the London Tropical School dinner in May. But the opinion of the Committee was that the present time was inopportune for a public appeal, which would probably confuse the public while the London School was also making efforts to obtain money, and would interfere with the success of those efforts. It would be better to defer writing to the press as suggested for at least a year, though the objection did not apply to asking individuals or individual bodies for contributions.
The only practical course remaining was to proceed with Mr. Lucas's suggestion. The Committee. considered that if the professor was to be paid partly from the money allotted to the Royal Society, it was only fair, besides being seemly on general grounds, that they should take part in his nomination; and it was resolved-
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(a) That Mr. Lucas should ascertain from Sir Arthur Rücker whether, if £700 a year for five years could be obtained, the University of London would be disposed to appoint a professor on such a temporary endow- ment, on the understanding that efforts would be made to obtain a sufficient capital sum to make the endowment permanent; and, if so, whether they would provide suitable installation for the professor at the Imperial Institute, and whether they would agree to the Tropical Diseases Committee of the Royal Society taking part in the nomina- tion of the professor. (It was understood that Sir A. Rücker could only give provisional assent, and that in any case the matter would have to be submitted formally in due course to the constituted authorities of the University.)
(b) That, if Sir A. Rücker's reply was favourable, the Royal Society should be asked to surrender £500 a year from their grant towards the professorship.
(c) That, if all went well, there was no reason why the professor should not
be appointed without holding another meeting of the Board.
(No. 92.)
SIK,
No. 41.
CANADA.
GOVERNOR-GENERAL EARL GREY to MR. LYTTELTON.
(Received March 30, 1905.)
Government House, Ottawa, March 15, 1905. WITH reference to your despatch marked "General" of the 1st January, 1904,* calling attention to Mr. Chamberlain's circular despatch of the 28th May, 1903,† on
† [Cd. 1598], June, 1903.
• L.F.: reminder.
1
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the subject of the investigation of malaria, to which no answer had been received, I have the honour to enclose herewith a copy of an approved Minute of the Privy Council representing that as Canada is not a tropical or malarial country the Government is not prepared to recommend to Parliament the granting of a vote for the purpose of contributing towards the fund referred to in the concluding para- graph of Mr. Chamberlain's despatch above-mentioned.
I have, &c.,
Enclosure in No. 41.
GREY.
EXTRACT from a Report of the Committee of the Honourable the Privy Council, approved by His Excellency the Governor-General, March 10th, 1905.
The Committee of the Privy Council have had under consideration a circular despatch, dated 29th February, 1904, from the Colonial Office, drawing attention to a scheme for the formation of a fund large enough to cover estimated expenditure in connection with the examination in tropical medicine and hygiene conducted by the State Medical Syndicate of the University of Cambridge, the fund being of an Imperial character shared by more than one Department and contributed to by various parts of the Empire.
The Minister of Agriculture to whom the said despatch was referred, is of opinion, as Canada is not a tropical nor malarial country and is not, therefore, interested in the schools of tropical medicine and the Malarial Commission to the same degree as the other British Colonies and Protectorates mentioned on page of the circular despatch, that it is not necessary for the Dominion to participate in the establishment of such a fund.
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The Minister therefore feels unable to recommend that the Parliament of Canada should be asked to vote any sum of money for the purpose of contributing towards the proposed Imperial fund.
The Committee advise that His Excellency the Governor-General be moved to forward a copy of this Minute to the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies.
All which is respectfully submitted for approval.
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SIR,
No. 42.
JOHN J. MCGEE,
Clerk of the Privy Council.
THE ROYAL SOCIETY to COLONIAL OFFICE. (Received March 31, 1905.) [Answered by No. 43.]
Burlington House, London, W., March 30, 1905.
ADVERTING to your letter of December 14,* informing the Royal Society that
a sum not exceeding £1,000 would be at the Society's disposal after January 1, 1905, for the investigation of tropical diseases, and to the desire of the Secretary of State to be informed of the allocation of this fund, I am to state, for the information of Mr. Lyttelton, that, acting on the advice of the Tropical Diseases Committee, the Royal Society has allocated £500 towards the expenses connected with the despatch of Professor Minchin to Uganda for the prosecution of the further enquiry into sleeping sickness mentioned in my letter to the Colonial Office of February 8.†
The Committee, in making an immediate allocation of so large a proportion of the whole sum placed at their disposal by the Colonial Office, were influenced by the last paragraph of your letter under reference, in which it is stated that the whole sum of £1,000 would be available this year without deduction for other purposes.
The balance of the expense of Professor Minchin's commission, estimated to cost £1,000, is being met by a contribution of £500 from the Foreign Office.
• No. 25.
† 4112 not printed.