From J. D. Hooker 9 June 1878
The Royal Society, | Burlington House, London, W.
June 9th/78.
Dear Darwin
I have long had at heart a scheme for reducing the monstrous heavy fees (in future) of F.R.S. by establishing a “Publication Fund”—which by relieving the income of part of the expenditure on publications, would eventually set free the desired amount for the reduction of fees to the standard of other societies.1
To this end I induced my old friend Young of Kelly to give me £1000, & the Council has entered into my Scheme, accepted the £1000 as the first contribution to the fund & sanctioned my taking any honest course towards increasing it.2
Spottiswoode has gone into the matter for me, & finds that £10,000 would suffice, & further he thinks that an effort should be made to raise this sum at once amongst the Fellows—by subscriptions varying from £50 (which is as much as I can afford) to £1000, out of which a few swells may be cozened!—3
I need hardly say that I am ambitious to confer this boon on the Society & on Science before I leave the Chair—4 I am sure of your sympathy, but can well suppose that you cannot help; & shall not be surprized to be told so.
Ever affy yrs | Jos D Hooker.
Footnotes
Bibliography
ODNB: Oxford dictionary of national biography: from the earliest times to the year 2000. (Revised edition.) Edited by H. C. G. Matthew and Brian Harrison. 60 vols. and index. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2004.
Summary
JDH’s scheme for lowering F.R.S. fees by creating a fund through membership subscription.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-11547
- From
- Joseph Dalton Hooker
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Royal Society
- Source of text
- DAR 104: 109–10
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 11547,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-11547.xml