The Shadow of Great Britain

”Summary of Nomination for New Members of the Royal Society”

Nominee: Sir Arthur Hastings

Academic Field: Electricity and Applied Electromagnetism

Sir Arthur Hastings has made original contributions that are validated, reproducible, and widely adopted in the field of electrical experiments and engineering applications.

His invention of the variable resistor device (commonly known as the ”Hastings resistor”) has significantly enhanced the stability of current control in electrical experiments and has been practically applied in numerous laboratories and telegraph systems.

In the study of telegraph transmission, Sir Hastings systematically investigated the relationship between resistance, wire length, and signal attenuation, and his results have directly contributed to the construction of long-distance telegraph systems, holding ongoing value for public communication.

His scientific work is based on experiments, thoroughly documented, with clear conclusions, and has been recognized by multiple researchers in Britain and the European Continent.

Nominators:

Charles Wheatstone (Director of the University of London Laboratory, Member of the Royal Society)

George Simon Ohm (Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of London, Member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, Member of the Royal Society)

Michael Faraday (Director of the Royal Society Laboratory, Member of the French Academy of Sciences, Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Member of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences, Member of the Royal Society)

Dominique Francois Jean Arago (Member of the House of Commons of France, Permanent Secretary of the French Academy of Sciences, Director of the Paris Observatory, Member of the French Academy of Sciences, Member of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences, Member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, Member of the Turin Academy of Sciences, Member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, Member of the Royal Society)

Carl Friedrich Gauss (Royal Astronomer of the Kingdom of Hanover, Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy at the University of Gottingen, Director of the Gottingen Observatory, Member of the French Academy of Sciences, Member of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences, Member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, Member of the Danish Royal Academy of Sciences, Member of the Royal Society)

Alexander von Humboldt (Privy Council Advisor of the Kingdom of Prussia, President of the Berlin Geographical Society, Member of the Berlin Academy of Sciences, Member of the French Academy of Sciences, Member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, Member of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences, Member of the Danish Royal Academy of Sciences, Member of the Royal Society)

...

On the morning the nomination materials for new members were posted, the corridors of the Royal Society seemed especially quiet.

Not because no one was passing by; on the contrary, the corridor leading to the bulletin board was more crowded than usual.

People walked slowly, even their footsteps were deliberately softened, as if any louder noise might be mistaken for some kind of rudeness.

Soon, a circle of people had gathered in front of the bulletin board.

No one discussed the nomination content itself; it was written too cleanly, so cleanly that there was nothing to argue about.

The part that was repeatedly scanned and repeatedly confirmed was the list below.

When they saw Wheatstone, they couldn’t help but nod, as if saying in their hearts, ”Of course.”

At the sight of Ohm, everyone’s brows just slightly furrowed, but they still understood.

However, when they saw Faraday’s name appear among the nominators, someone nearby started to clear their throat subconsciously.

And when Arago’s full name appeared in view, there was a brief and genuine pause in the corridor.

It wasn’t a gasp or an exclamation, just an uncertainty of whether or not to continue looking.

Someone whispered, ”Did Mr. Arago send a letter all the way from Paris to London just to nominate a new member?”

No one answered.

Because as they continued to look down, the question itself had become less important.

Gauss’s name lay quietly there.

No embellishment, no emphasis, just a neatly arranged line of titles, yet it made many people subconsciously revisit that line, starting with the surname, reading it again.

This time, even the throat-clearing sound in the corridor disappeared.

”Is it... that Gauss?” finally someone quietly confirmed.

No one thought this question was redundant.

Because prior to this, people could more or less understand this nomination as a grand academic social event, but Gauss has never liked the socializing in the academic world.

Several people nodded in unison, as if reaching an unspoken understanding.

However, what truly changed the atmosphere was still to come.

When their gaze continued down to see ”Alexander von Humboldt” on that line, the first laugh finally appeared in front of the bulletin board.

The laugh wasn’t loud, even carrying a bit of self-mockery.

”Alright.” someone said softly, ”Now I understand, it’s indeed that Gauss, and indeed that Humboldt.”

After this sentence fell, the air in front of the bulletin board loosened a bit.

Not because everyone had lost interest in the discussion, but because the focus of the discussion had shifted from ”whether Arthur Hastings should be elected to the Royal Society” to ”whether Ohm and Wheatstone deserve to stand on the nominators’ list with the other four.”

”Wheatstone is a member of the Royal Society.” someone began, as if defending him: ”And he is the Director of the University of London Laboratory, that is indisputable.”

”No one denies his qualification.” another person followed up: ”The problem is, where he stands now, to the left is Faraday, to the right is Arago, and further down are Gauss and Humboldt.”