him the communication, description, or model, except the officer to whom 

 it sliall be entrusted ; nor sliall sucli officer part with tlie same out of his 

 custody, without a special order of the Society for that purpose. 



6. The Society, having previously referred the several communications 

 from candidates for the premium, then depending, to tlie consideration of 

 the twelve counsellors and other officers of the Society, and having received 

 their report thereon, shall, at one of their stated meetings in the month of 

 December, annuallj% after the expiration of this current year (of the time 

 and place, togetlier with the particular occasion of wliich meeting due no- 

 tice shall be previously given, by public advertisement) proceed to final 

 adjudication of the said premium ; and, after due consideration had, a vote 

 shall first be taken on this question, viz : Whether any of the communica- 

 tions then under inspection be worthy of the proposed premium ? If this 

 question be determined in the negative, the whole business shall be de- 

 ferred till another year ; but if in the affirmative, the Society shall proceed 

 to determine by ballot, given by the members at large, the discovery, in- 

 vention or improvement most useful and worthy ; and that discovery, in- 

 vention, or improvement which shall be found to have a majority of 

 concurring votes in its favor shall be successful ; and then, and not till 

 then, the sealed letter accompanjang the crowned performance shall be 

 opened, and the name of the author announced as the person entitled to 

 the said premium. 



7. No member of the Society who is a candidate for the premium then 

 depending, or who hath not previously declared to the Society, that he has 

 considered and weighed, according to the best of his judgment, the com- 

 parative merits of the several claims then under consideration, shall sit in 

 judgment, or give his vote in awarding the said premium. 



8. A full account of the crowned subject shall be published by the So- 

 ciety, as soon as may be after the adjudication, either in a separate publi- 

 cation, or in tlie next succeeding volume of their Transactions, or in both. 



9. The unsuccessful performances shall remain under consideration, and 

 their authors be considered as candidates for the premium for five years 

 next succeeding the time of their presentment ; except such performances 

 as their authors may, in the meantime, think fit to withdraw. And the 

 Society shall annually publish an abstract of the titles, object, or subject 

 matter of the communications, so under consideration ; such only excepted 

 as the Society shall think not worthy of public notice. 



10. The letters containing the names of authors whose performances 

 shall be rejected, or which shall be found unsuccessful after a trial of five 

 years, shall be burnt before the Society, without breaking the seals. 



11. In case there should be a failure, in any year, of any communication 

 worthy of the proposed premium, there will then be two premiums to be 

 awarded the next year. But no accummulation of premiums shall entitle 

 the author to more than one premium for any one discovery, invention or 

 improvement. 



12. The premium shall consist of an oval plate of solid standard gold of 

 the value of ten guineas. On one side thereof shall be neatly engraved a 



