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a considerable edition for his own benefit, and which they 
might have saved by printing the work themselves.’ 
«To show the illegal nature of the agreement entered 
into with Mr. Petrie, Sir W. Betham observes, ‘ that the 
Council have no power to expend more than £20, without 
the consent of the Academy at large.’ But the Council have 
power to contract liabilities to any amount that may be ne- 
cessary for bringing out the volumes of the Transactions. 
This is part of their office. They are not even obliged to bring 
such engagements under the notice of the Academy, until a 
grant of money is wanted to discharge them; but it so hap- 
pens, that the agreement made with Mr. Petrie was laid be- 
fore the Academy, along with other matters, at a stated 
meeting on the 16th of March, 1841, in a report which was 
then adopted, and ordered to be entered on the minutes. In 
this case no grant of money has been called for, as Mr. Petrie’s 
part of the engagement is not yet fulfilled ; nor has any sum, 
large or small, been expended in connexion with the Essay 
on the Round Towers, except what had been paid for engra- 
vings previously to the aforesaid agreement ; which sum, by 
the terms of the agreement, isto be taken into account in the 
final settlement. : 
*« Sir W. Betham further states, that ‘it is contrary to the 
laws of the Academy, to return the manuscripts even of 
unsuccessful candidates for prizes and medals, while they 
claim as property all Essays read at their ordinary meetings 
and ordered to be printed.’ It is true that it is part of a law 
of the Academy, that ‘ all communications shall be deemed 
the property of the Academy’ (Chap. VII. Sect. 5, of the 
By-laws) ; but it is part of the same law, ‘that the author 
of any communication may, by petition to Council, reclaim 
such communication, which shall be restored to him on said 
petition being granted.’ And this law applies to every 
sort of communication. __ 
