16& A Review of some leading Points in the Official Character 

 Sir Joseph Banks's Speech, November SO, 1784*. 



[Exactly copied, both as to Oi-thography, Punctaation, &c.] 



Atho' your Council, whose Office it [is] to allott Sir Godfrey Copleys 

 Annual Bounty to the Person by whose Communications the Progress of 

 Science has received the most useful! Assistance ; observ'd with pleasure, 

 that the Papers read at the meetings of this Year, which independant of 

 Competition ■witli each other, deserv'd that valuable testimony of the So- 

 cieties approbation, Vifere more numerous than usual ; they felt little hesi- 

 tation in Forming their decision : remembering how materially Science had 

 already Profited by D-' Waring's successfuU Labors, considering the subject 

 matter of his Essay as congenial to the Views of the Royal Society and above 

 all admiring the able S: Scientific manner in which he has treated that sub- 

 ject, more abstruse iSc complicated perhaps. Than any other in which the 

 institution of the Royal Society Interests itself. They were enabled to 

 decide with Speed & perfect unanimity. 



To Edward Wari)is then D' of Physic Lucasian Professor of the Ma- 

 thcmatic's in the University of Cambridge Fellow of the Royal Society of 

 London & Member of the Academy of Sciences at Bologna 1 am directed 

 to deliver that tribute which the Royal Society annually pays to the most 

 approved merit, for his Paper entitled — on the Summation of Series, whose 

 general term is a determinate Function of Z the distance from the first 

 term of the Series. 



To enter into a detail of the Merits of this valuable performance Sc ex- 

 plain to the learned Audience whom 1 have the honor of addressing the 

 Vai-ious particulars in which our Author has excell'd his Cotemporaries, is 

 a task, which the limited Bounds of my Talents directed as they have al- 

 ways been to the attainment of a different kind of Knowledge \nll not en- 

 able me to undertake : The Extent of Science is far beyond the grasp of an 

 individual he who is ambitious to enlarge its bounds must to effect his pur- 

 pose take his seperate department & Finaly confine himself to that subject 

 whatever it be in which fortunate application has enabled him to excell In 

 truth I feel no humiliation when I declare that having dedicated my Youth 

 tu the Pursuit of another Science the Superficial knowledge of iVIathematic's 

 I have hitherto attnind howsoever it may enable me to distinguish Conspi- 

 cuous merit will not Empower me to enter into an explanatory detail of a 

 work intended for the perusal of those only who are fully initiated in the 

 deepest Mysteries of Mathematical knowledge by men whose acquire- 

 niciits have gain'd them reputation in that Line our Author is held in the 

 highest esteem & his Works are by learned foreigners univtrsaly deem'd 

 equal at least to Those of his most admir'd Cotemporaries in all parts of 

 Europe as is Plainly evinc'd by the Controversy he in this very Paper main- 



* I hold myself answerable for the authenticity of this curious document. 

 No sooner had Sir Joscphterminated this address than a muvmvir of Rig-marol ! 

 Jl'ii^MUfol! ran through " the faction," as they were termed. Some of the Pre- 

 sident's less judicious partisans immediately proposed the publication of his 

 " admirable speech ;" but they were outvoted by such of his friends as were 

 too wise to risk his reputation, and that of the Society, on such a strange 

 production. It was simply determined, therefore, that the President's copy 

 of the xpeech should be lodged in the archives of the Society. On the suc- 

 ceeding day a friend of mine made faithfully and carefully the copy which 

 I now possess. A few days afterwards other fellows of the Society visited 

 the rooms in order to take copies ; but the document was removed, by the 

 Pre.sident or his friends, and has never since been seen. 



