380 Proceedings of the Royal Society, 



President. 

 Sir Humphry Davy, Bart. 



Treasurer. 

 Davies Gilbert, Esq. M. P. 



Secretaries. 

 William Thomas Brande, Esq. Taylor Combe, Esq. 



Council. 



Dr. Ash J. F. W. Herschel, Esq. 



W. Blake, Esq. Sir E. Home, Bart. 



Earl Brownlow Captain Henry Kater 



Bishop of Carlisle J. Planta, Esq 



J. G. Children, Esq. J. Pond, Esq. 



Sir G. Clerk, Bart. Earl Spencer 



H. T. Colebrooke, Esq. Dr. W. H. Wollaston 



J, W. Croker, Esq. Dr. T. Young, For. Secretary. 

 C. Hatchett, Esq. 



At this meeting the President announced that the Council had 

 determined to present the Copley medal to Professor John 

 Christian Oerstedt, of Copenhagen, as a testimony of their 

 approbation of his electro-magnetic discoveries. Dr. Wollaston 

 then, in a luminous and eloquent discourse, stated to the 

 Society the nature of Professor Oerstedt's investigations, and 

 pointed out their probable influence upon the future progress 

 of some of the most difficult branches of physical science. 



Thursday, Dec. 7. — On taking the chair, the President, Sir 

 H. Davy, proceeded in a short discourse, to point out the ob- 

 jects of the Royal Society in particular, and its relation to va- 

 rious other scientific institutions, assembled for the purpose of 

 pursuing individual branches of inquiry.';; He then adverted 

 to the present state of the Sciences, and to the important 

 part taken by the Fellows of the Royal Society in their im- 

 provement and extension ; and enumerated the different sub- 

 jects of natural knowledge that stood most in need of accu- 

 rate research, in nearly the following terms : 



