1976/01/31 by M. J. Bartholomew · 3 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Arts and Humanities · Medicine · #Evolution and Paleontology Studies #History of Science and Natural History #Evolution and Science Education #Medal #Presentation (obstetrics) #Confession (law) #Event (particle physics) #Faith #Darwin (ADL) #Classics #Law #Art history #History #Sociology #Philosophy #Medicine #Theology #Computer science #Political science
paper · doi:10.1098/rsnr.1976.0014
published in Notes and Records the Royal Society Journal of the History of Science 30(2), 209-218 (Royal Society)
openalex publication_date 1976/01/31 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Abstract Darwin was awarded the Royal Society’s highest award, the Copley Medal, at the anniversary meeting on 30 November 1864. The event is worth examining in some detail because first, there was a disagreement as to whether the Origin of species had been included in, or excluded from, the grounds on which the award of the medal had been made. The published letters of Darwin’s supporters give the impression that the President of the Society, General Sabine, behaved rather dishonourably by saying, in his presentation speech, that the Origin was not to be considered as one of the pieces of work for which the award was being made. However, although it is not possible to reconstruct events completely, an examination of the minutes of the Council, and of some items of correspondence, shows that Sabine’s behaviour was not as reprehensible as his detractors made out. Secondly, the event is of interest because at the dinner which followed the meeting, Charles Lyell gave a speech which, in his own words, was ‘somewhat of a confession of faith as to the “Origin”’. A carefully written and corrected manuscript of the speech survives in the Lyell papers at Edinburgh University, and it is reproduced here in full.