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March 17. — Mr. Pliillips delivered a Lecture on Optics. 

 He treated on the nature and properties of light, its prismatic 

 colours, the effects of reflection and refraction, tlie diverginor 

 and converging of rays of light in passing through lenses of 

 different forms ; on the structure of the human eye, explaining 

 its imperfections, and suggesting the remedies hy use of 

 lenses of different constructions, Sec. and produced in illus- 

 tration of this suhject a series of well-executed diagrams. 



March 24. — fl'Ir. Wilkinson delivered his seventh Lecture 

 on the History of England. The period treated of was from 

 the accession of Henry HL to the end of the reign of Richard 

 n. He adverted to the planfe of the British, Roman, Saxon, 

 and Norman governments, and to the general view of their 

 several systems of laws and political arrangements, which had 

 been previously given. And after remarking that the general 

 plan of government, and system of laws introduced by the 

 Normans soon after their settlement, continued with some 

 changes, to form the political constitution through the above 

 period, he proceeded to shew the principal changes which the 

 effects of party, the result of experience, and the alteration of 

 circumstances, had made in the Anglo-Norman constitution, 

 government, and laws, in the times he had under considera- 

 tion. In the course of the lecture he particularly alluded to 

 the several confirmations of the charters, the constitution of 

 parliament, and its gradual and insensible approach to its 

 present form, the state of the statute and common laws, 

 the prerogatives and revenues of the crown, and the influence 

 of the circumstances and events on historical record, on the 

 political and civil conditions and institutions of the kingdom. 

 Mr. W. then gave a brief delineation of the state of learning 

 in the above period, with the sciences which were most cul- 

 tivated and encouraged, and concluded with observations on 

 the chief seminaries of learning, and with slight biographical 

 uotices of the lives, characters, and writings of those who 

 were most disthiguished for literary or scientific erudition, 

 particularly Friar Bacon and Matthew Paris, both eminently 

 worthy of a place in history, as conferring honour on their 

 country. 



March 31.— Mr. John Brent, jun. delivered a Lecture on 

 the Supernatural in Fiction. He commenced his subject by 

 calling the attention of the audience to that feeling of deep 

 interest which the supernatural has at all times excited in 

 the mind of man, especially in unenlightened times, when a 

 falling leaf or an expiring lamp were thought to prophesy, and 

 the very stars above were iuterprcters of fate. After de- 



