142 Miscellaneous. 



either of the four departments of Natural History,' it is inexpedient 

 to accede to the liberal intentions of the testator under the conditions 

 expressed in his will." 



This Resolution, which received the entire concurrence of the 

 President and of every Member of the Council, was chiefly founded 

 on the following considerations : — 



The great object of the Linnsean Society, as of all other bodies 

 similarly constituted, is the production and publication of such essays 

 as tend to the advancement of that branch of science which it culti- 

 vates. The principal question therefore in reference to Mr. Rudge's 

 bequest, is the manner in which its acceptance would operate on the 

 Society's publications, and the Council has arrived at the conclusion 

 that its tendency would be prejudicial rather than favourable ; inas- 

 much as while the Medal would offer no inducement to some of those 

 Members who have hitherto been in the habit of communicating 

 papers which have had a place in the ' Transactions,' they might, 

 on the contrary, be unwilling to submit their future communications 

 to this new ordeal ; and it does not appear probable that the Medal 

 would prove a stimulus to the production of more valuable Essays 

 from any other class of the Society. On the other hand, it is pro- 

 bable that dissatisfaction would arise in the minds of some of those 

 Members, who after contributing papers to more than one volume of 

 the ' Transactions,' should fail in obtaining the award of a Medal. 



A second objection to the acceptance of the bequest arises from 

 the absence of any discretionary power of withholding the Medal, 

 which is necessarily to be awarded to the best paper in every volume, 

 and consequently to papers of very unequal value, thereby lowering 

 the character of the Medal, and consequently affecting the scientific 

 reputation of the Society itself. 



Differences of opinion, and consequent dissatisfaction, would also 

 be not unlikely occasionally to arise in deciding upon the compara- 

 tive merits of papers in botany and zoology, the two branches of 

 natural history, of which, for many years past, the Transactions of 

 the Society have exclusively consisted. 



Another point may still be noticed as decidedly unfavourable to the 

 acceptance of the bequest, namely, the not improbable award of the 

 Medal by the Council, in some cases to one of its own body, in strict 

 conformity with the conditions of the will ; conditions which neither 

 the Council itself, nor (as it appears from the tenor and provisions 

 of the will) any other party has the power to modify. 



These objections have appeared to the Council so important as not 

 to admit of any other course but that of respectfully declining to 

 accept a bequest, the operation of which would in all probability be 

 injurious to the best interests of the Society, by lowering the cha- 

 racter of its publications, and endangering the continuance of that 

 harmony which has hitherto prevailed in all essential points. The 

 Council is at the same time deeply sensible of the kind and liberal 

 intentions of Mr. Rudge, and entertains a sincere regret that the 

 express terms of his will should have rendered the acceptance of his 

 bequest liable to such grave objections. 



The meeting was numerously attended, and the President (the 



