GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY, ROYAL. An association for the advancement and diffusion of geographical science; and for the encouragement of exploration, founded at London in 1830 and chartered in 1859. It had its inception with members of the Raleigh Dining Club, an organiza tion of travelers, who desired to establish a so ciety to aid scientific research in geography. It began its career under very favorable auspices, 460 fellows having enrolled the first year, among them the King. the Duke of Wellington, prom inent army and navy officers, and leading scien tists, whose number had increased by 1901 to over 4000. In 1832 it to publish an nually the results of investigations, together with its proceedings in the Royal Geographical Journal; but the gradual increase in the contribu tions necessitated the reorganization of the pub lication, and accordingly in its place was sub stituted in 1880 a monthly magazine, entitled The Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society and Monthly Record, which name was in 1893 changed to The Geographical Journal. In addi
tion to the Journal the society also issues the Year Book and Hints to Travelers. It expends considerable sums every year for the encourage ment of research and exploration. At the in stance of the society Oxford appointed in 1888 a reader in geography, and in the same year Cam bridge appointed a lecturer in geography, the society paying two-thirds of his salary. Since 1879 courses of instruction in the use of astronomical and surveying instruments have been offered under the auspices of the society to travelers, with the result that many of them have contributed to the library original charts and maps. The library of the society contains about 34,000 volumes, and a large collection of charts, maps, and globes.