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Thirteenth Meeting — May 5, 1851. 

 J. B. YATES, Esq., in the Chair. 



It was communicated from the Ck)uncil that they recom- 

 mended the Society to carry out the Pendulum experiment, 

 whereby the earth's rotation may be made visible, the Sailors' 

 Home having been obtained for that purpose. It was moved 

 by Dr. Inman, seconded by Mr. Barber, and carried unani- 

 mously that this suggestion be confirmed. A Sub -Committee, 

 consisting of the President, Mr. J. P. G. Smith, Mr. Ha.rt- 

 NUP, and Dr. Thomson, was appointed by the Council for 

 this purpose. 



The following donation was laid upon the table : — 

 Report of the Calcutta Public Library for 1850. 



Dr. Ihnb read a paper On the Legislature of the Roman 

 Republic^ of which the following is an abstract : — 



The author introduced the subject by paying a high and 

 deserved, though, in some things, qualified compliment to 

 Niebuhr, the historian, from whom, he said, we have to date 

 the fruitful investigation into the organization of the Roman 

 constitution, which engages scholars now, and which derives 

 its value and interest, not from a mere antiquarian curiosity, 

 but from the light thrown by Roman history thus pursued 

 upon the nicest questions of the philosophy of history, and 

 upon the political and social problems which engage the at- 

 tention of the present day. He referred to the traditions 

 whence sprung the early history of that mighty empire, and to 

 the happy circumstance that the origin, nature, and develop- 

 ment of laws and institutions can be traced back with much 

 greater certainty than can the events of the same era. Thus 



