72 



Dr. Charles Willoughby, Director, and Molyneux under- 

 took the combined oflSces of Secretary and Treasurer. 

 November 1st, All Saints' day, was chosen for the anniver- 

 sary of the Society. On the 1st of November, 1684, Sir 

 William Petty was re-elected President, Molyneux as Secre- 

 tary, and William Pleydell, Esq., Treasurer. On the 2nd of 

 November, 1685, Lord Viscount Meuntjoy was elected Pre- 

 sident, George Toilet, Esq., Treasurer, and St. George Ashe 

 Secretary. In this year, Molyneux retired from actual office, 

 but retained his place on the council of the Society. On the 

 1st of November, 1686, Lord Viscount Mountjoy was re- 

 elected President, George Toilet Esq., Treasurer, and 

 Edward Smyth, Secretary. 



" The preceding particulars are taken from the original 

 Minute-book of the Society preserved in the British Museum, 

 MS. Addit. 4811.* The last entry in this book is, the 

 account of the General Meeting of 1686, and this would lead 

 us to suppose that the Society was dissolved at this period, 

 although Dr. Hutton assures us, that it was not broken up 

 till 1688. t 



"From MS. Addit. 48 12, it appears that in the year 1707, 

 an attempt was made to reestablish the Society, but its suc- 

 cess was not of any long duration, and this MS. contains a 

 register of the philosophical papers read before the Society, 

 from August 15th, 1707, to March 1 1th, 1708. The Earl of 

 Pembroke, then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, presided over 

 the Society at this revival. 



" In 1686, Molyneux printed at Dublin, his ' Sciothericum 

 Telescopium,' containing a description of the structure and 

 use of a telescopic dial invented by him. In the British 

 Museum is preserved the author's own copy of this volume. 



* The same volume likewise contains copies of numerous letters and papers on 

 scientific subjects, addressed for the most part to Molyneux. 

 t Mathematical Dictionary, vol. ii. p. 117. 



