8cV Royal InJIUution of Great "Britain* 



ditions to thefe two volumes., which were republished about 

 two years ago. 



The third and fourth volumes, now publifhed, contain the 

 hittory of the mathematics llnce the commencement of the 

 eighteenth century to the prelent period. This century is 

 more fertile than anv of the preceding, having produced a 

 great many men of eminenee in the mathematical fciences; as 

 Euler, Maelaurin, the two Simpfons, Dalembert, Condorcet, 

 La Grange, Landen, De la Place, Delalande, <kc. Montucla 

 died while employed in putting the laft hand to this part, by 

 which means the end of the third volume, and great part of 

 the fourth, were left imperfect. Delalande undertook to 

 fupply the deficiency, as a teflimonv of refpe£t to the- me- 

 mory of his friend ; and the refult of his labour is now pre- 

 fented to the public. Delalande has prefixed to the third 

 volume a preface, and added to the fourth a life of Montucla; 

 with an index to the two lad volumes, like that given by 

 Montucla with the fir ft and fecond. 



-' ■■■ • . . l - r-r . — -. -. ■■ ;■— — ' , =^=^z=. 



XVII. Proceedings of Learned Societies* 



ROYAL INSTITUTION OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



T a meeting of the managers and vifitors of the Royal 

 Inftitution of Great Britain, held at the houfc of the Inftitu- 

 tion, on the a6th day of April 1802, the following report, 

 relative to the prei'ent itate of the Iiiflitution, was laid before 

 them by Count Rumford. 



On the 25th of May laft year I bad the honour to lay be- 

 fore the managers an account, which by their directions was 

 publifhed in the journals' of the Inftitution on the 13th of 

 June, refpecYmcv the progrefs that had been made in the ar- 

 rangement of the Inftitution at that time, and of the works 

 that were then going on at the houfe of the Inftitution ; and 

 I fhall now briefly ltate to the managers and vifitors what has 

 fince been accompliflied, and what (till remains to be done 

 to complete this great and iutcrofiing eftablifnment in all its 

 details. 



The new lecture-room has been finifhed, and is acknow- 

 ledged to be one of the mod beautiful znd moft convenient 

 fcientific theatres in Europe. It is fo favourable to the pro- 

 pagation of found, that though it is fufficiently capacious to 

 contain 900 perfons, a whifper may be diMin&ly heard from 

 one extremity of it to the other, and no echo is ever perceived 

 in it on any occafion. ft is i ; contrived, that day-light may 



be 



