138 Royal Society. 
now beginning to exercise, in the hands of Mr. Owen and others, 
as well as the extraordinary perfection to which the instrument itself 
is now brought. They have come to the conclusion that it is highly 
expedient that we should ourselves possess the means of repeating 
and verifying the experiments brought before our notice, as well as 
instituting new branches of inquiry. We have therefore thought it 
expedient, by summoning competition to our aid, to endeavour to 
obtain one of the best microscopes that can be constructed. Indeed 
we feel sure, that, independently of the liberal price that we have 
offered, there is no optician who would not feel highly gratified on 
seeing within these walls an instrument constructed by him, 
The room, Gentlemen, in which we are met, has had some changes 
made in the pictures which adorn its walls. In consequence of these 
changes you will see, in addition to those portraits to which you 
are accustomed, the likeness of one of the most distinguished of our 
body ; of one who was equally eminent in natural philosophy and 
in archeology. Our posterity, Gentlemen, will probably hereafter 
be at a loss whether to admire Dr. Young most in his pursuits of 
natural knowledge, or in his discovery of the key to the greatest 
mystery of bygone ages,—the hieroglyphical writing of the Egyp- 
tians. 
You will not be less pleased to see another portrait of a venerable 
philosopher still spared to us—of that great and original chemist, 
Dr. Dalton. 
I have to congratulate you also on the possession of the bust of a 
lady whose acquirements are an honour to her sex and to her coun- 
try; and I feel sure that the likeness of Mrs. Somerville, from the 
hand of our lamented Chantrey, will ever be highly prized by the 
Royal Society. 
In addition to these ornaments to our Apartments, since I ad- 
dressed you in our Anniversary Meeting of 1840, I must not pass 
over the portrait of Mr. Dollond, to whom the astronomer is so 
much indebted for his improvement in the art of constructing tele- 
scopes; and I should be wholly inexcusable if I omitted the valua- 
ble picture given to us by Mr. Vignolles, and representing the prince 
of English science, the immortal Sir Isaac Newton. 
I am happy to state that the Royal Society has not, during the 
past year, had to lament the death of any one of her Foreign Mem- 
bers. We could not reasonably hope that such should be the case 
among her British Fellows. I shall now, Gentlemen, conclude, as 
usual, by a short account of some of the more remarkable men, whe- 
ther for scientific research, or for public services, whom the Royal 
Society has had the misfortune to lose since last November. 
Among the deceased Fellows of the present year, we have to 
lament the loss of one of the most eminent surgeons and physiolo- 
gists of our times—one whose investigations and discoveries have 
shed a new light on that most intricate part of the human organiza- 
tion—the Nervous System, 
Sr Cuartes Bevt, K.H., F.R.S. L. and E., &c., the youngest 
son of the Rey. W. Bell, of the episcopal church of Scotland, was 
