RECORDS OF MEETINGS. 695 



London, July 21!' 17S1. 

 Dear Sir, 



I think myself much honoured by the favour of your letter dated the 

 28^^ of Feb?" last w*"' I received about a month ago. I am made very 

 happy by the information it contains, that in the midst of war and the 

 most important struggle that a people were ever engaged in, a new 

 Academy for promoting arts and Sciences has been established at 

 Boston. In compliance with your desire, I have communicated the 

 incorporating Act and list of members to the President and Secreta- 

 ries of the Royal Society, attended with a letter of my own stating 

 the contents of your letter to me, and the hopes w'^'^ the American 

 Academy entertain that the Royal Society, governed by the neutral- 

 ity of Philosophy, will favour it with its encouragement. I do not 

 yet know certainly what notice will be taken of these communications. 

 The reply that has been reported to me from the President is, that it 

 has not been customary to lay before the Royal Society notices of the 

 institution of any Societies whatever. 



I am obliged to be cautious in communicating the inaugural oration 

 of your honourable and worthy President on account of some political 

 passages in it. For my own part I approve and admire these passages ; 

 and I request the favour of you to deliver my best respects to the 

 Author. I have delivered your letters to D'' Morell and M"" Maske- 

 lyne. I have likewise got a Friend to communicate to the Society of 

 Arts and Commerce the copy of the incorporating Act which you in- 

 tended for them. 



I am at present very busy in preparing for the Press a fourth edition 

 of my Treatise on Life-annuities and Reversionary paymt^ I shall en- 

 large it to two volumes, and when out to Press (w''^ I am afraid will 

 not be till the beginning of next Summer) I shall endeavour to get it 

 convey'd to you in hopes of the honour of its being accepted as a testi- 

 mony of my respect for the American Academy. This work having 

 been of some use I am anxious about making it as complete as possible. 

 With this view I am collecting all the Observations I can get on popu- 

 lation, the increase of mankind, and the duration of human life in 

 different Situations. 



All that can be worth communicating to you in the Philosophical 

 and Astronomical way is published in the numbers of the Philosophical 

 Transactions of the Royal Society which come out every half year. 

 \Yhat has lately most engaged attention is the new Star discovered 

 near Auriga by IVP. Herschel, a gentleman at Bath, who has for some 

 time been very curious and diligent in watching the Heavens. This 



