24 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [NOV. 26, 
London any sooner?” (Correspondence preserved in the War- 
rington Museum. ) 
Mr. Samuel Garbett, of Knill Court, Herefordshire, ina letter 
to the Marquis of Lansdowne, dated September 24th, 1791, 
gives a few interesting particulars of this meeting, held on the 
12th at Mr. Galton’s, which was probably the first one after the 
riots. He writes: ‘*‘ My accounts from Birmingham do not show 
that the acrimony subsides. Iam told that Dr. Priestley in- 
tended to attend the last Lunar meeting ... and therefore 
Mr. Watt, one of the members, went with pistols in his pocket. 
But Dr. Priestley did not attend the meeting, and I suppose 
that many of the Presbyterians have beg’d that he may not ap- 
pear at Birmingham.” And in a postscript he adds: ‘Since 
writing the other side, I receive a letter from Birmingham in 
which is the following paragraph: ‘Mr. Boulton says he was 
not at the Lunar meeting; he said Dr. Priestley is not coming, 
and complains his friends have not stwck by him.’” 
In the memoir of Dr. William Withering by his son, we find 
some reference to the Lunar Society. It appears that this accom- 
plished botanist and physician eventually abandoned the favorite 
doctrine of Phlogiston, so stoutly advocated by Dr. Priestley, 
and, at one of the social meetings of the ‘‘ Lunatics,” read to 
them a humorous piece in verse, entitled: “ ‘The Life and Death 
of Phlogiston,” which was long remembered for its clever treat- 
ment and pointed wit. 
On the 30th March, 1798, Dr. Withering wrote to Sir Joseph 
Banks: ‘‘ Mr. Boulton was here Tuesday last; he is up to the 
elbows in coinage, but does not talk of visiting London at 
present. Mr. Watt has sprained and nearly broken the tendo 
Achillis of his leg, but in other respects is well. My imperfect 
health prevents me attending our Lunar meetings in the winter 
season, but I will not forget, as [ meet with the parties, to ex- 
press your kind remembrance of them.” 
As the Lunar Society was merely social and informal, no rec- 
ords were kept of its gatherings, and we depend on casual 
references to it in the correspondence of its members with each 
other, for nearly all the available information concerning it. 
Further studies of correspondence not known to the writer may 
reveal additional items of interest. 
ADDITIONAL AUTHORITIES. 
J. A. Langford’s ‘‘ Century of Birmingham Life.” Birming- 
ham, 1868 ; 8vo, 2 vols. 
Robert K. Dent’s ‘Old and New Birmingham.” Birming- 
ham, 1879-80 ; 3 vols., 4to. 
