 In 1864 he lost his wife, their eldest daughter and only son.This, however, seems to have been followed by only temporary suspense of activity, social and scientific.In 1863–64 and again in 1866–68 he served on the Council of the Royal Society, and having been a member of the Royal Commission on Lighthouses, Buoys, and Beacons from 1859 to 1862, he became a member of the Gun Cotton Committee in 1864–68.