COLENSO

Colenso's 'trial', in November 1863 during his absence in England, by Archbishop Gray of Capetown, was a cause célèbre. Colenso, a devoted pastor of the Zulus, was also a mathematician and biblical scholar of the modern German school. He had published a Commentary on Romans, and in 1862 set out for England to oversee the publication of the Pentateuch in 5 volumes. Gray sought to depose him in his absence, and when Colenso appealed to the Privy Council, controversy raged not unlike the great debate over evolution of 1859-1860. Colenso's defence fund bore subscriptions from scientists such as Babbage and Darwin, broad churchmen or younger dons such as Farrer and Jowett, well wishers and friends such as Joseph Chamberlain and Rajah Brooke, and not a few of the clergy. He became by invitation a member of the Athenaeum. In April 1865 the Privy Council found in Colenso's favour, and on 15th August he set off back to Africa. The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. Charles Dickens, Adam Smith, Benjamin Franklin, Karl Marx, William Hogarth, John Diefenbaker, Stephen Hawking, Benson Taylor and Tim Berners-Lee are some of the notable past and present Fellows, and today it has Fellows elected from 80 countries worldwide.