14 



ROYAL SOCIETY 



HOY M.TV 



degree* of acceleration therein ; nnd divers other 

 thing* <f like nature.' In 1662 the jientevering 

 philosophers' (an students of the mathematical 

 ami natural science* were then usually called ) were, 

 through the 'gnu* and favour' of Charles 11., 

 incorporated by charter, in which they were de- 

 scribed a* the l!iyal Society of London for the 

 Proiiiotn.il Hi Natural Knowledge. The king gave 

 tin-in alo a mace, and subsequently granted two 

 other charters conferring additional power* and 

 privileges. They are inscribed in a handsome 

 volume known as the Charter Book, whieh, con- 

 taining, as it doe*, the sign-manual of the founder, 

 of other royal personages, and of nearly every 

 Fellow elected into the society, presents a collec- 

 tion of autographs unequalled in the worlil. 



Through many difficulties the young society pur- 

 sue.1 their way. Their meetings were intermpted 

 by the plague ami the great nre ; but in March 

 1664 6.1 they lutil published the first number of the 

 Philosophical Transactions, and thus commenced a 

 record of their lalmnrs and researches, and at the 

 name time a history of science of the highest value, 

 which now comprises upwards of one hundred and 

 eighty quarto volumes. Besides this, the society pub- 

 lish an octavo serial entitled Proceedings, in which an 

 account of the ordinary meetings is set forth. This 

 serial was commenced in 1800, and now till- over 

 forty-eight volumes. Another publication, in eleven 

 quarto volumes, is I lie ' 'ntnlogiie of Scientific Papers, 

 containing the titles of scientific papers published in 

 all parts of the world from 1HOO downwards. This 

 great work, invaluable for purposes of reference, was 

 compiled at the cost of the society, and gives in 

 methodical form a record of the scientific progress 

 of the century. These works are not restricted to 

 the Fellows, but are sold to the general public. 

 By increase of numbers including scientific men 

 on the Continent, who were elected as foreign 

 members the society widened their sphere of use- 

 fulness. They promoted the publication of New- 

 ton's Principia and optical works ; they lent in- 

 strument* to Greenwich Observatory in its early 

 days, and were appointed visitors of that establish- 

 ment by Queen Anne a function which they Mill 

 exercise ; they aided travellers and scientific inves- 

 tigators ; through force of circumstances, they 

 became the advisers of the government on scientific 

 subject* ; Cook's celebrated voyage to observe the 

 transit of Venus was undertaken at their instance ; 

 and from the voyage of the Endeavour down to the 

 voyage of the Challenger it would be difficult to 

 specify a scientific expedition which had not been 

 equipped under the advice of the Royal Society. 

 In 1710 the society removed to a house which 

 they Imught in Crane Court, Fleet Street. In 1780, 

 by order of George III., quarters were assigned to 

 them in the then new palatial building, Somerset 

 House. There they aliode until 1857, when, at the 

 request of the government, they migrated westward 

 to Burlington House, a wing of which they now 

 occupy. 



Tin: society's session commences on the third 

 Thursday in Noveml>er, and ends on the third 

 Thursday in June. During this period meetings 

 an- In-lit weekly at 4.30 P.M. for the reading and 

 discussion of papers, and these papers are for the 

 most part afterwards published in the Proceedings 

 or the Philosophical Transactions. The anniversary 

 meeting is held on November 30. At that meeting 

 tin- society elect a council to carry on their work 

 through the ensuing year. This council, compris- 

 ing president, treasurer, and secretaries, numbers 

 twenty-one persons. The numlier of candidates 

 for election into the society averages between fifty 

 and sixty every year. From these the council elects 

 fifti-i-n, whose names are printed and sent to every 

 Fellow, and in June the annual meeting takes place 



at which the fifteen are elected ; but any Fellow i 

 at lilierty to alter the list of names. There are in 

 all aliout'ftOO Fellows, including 50 foreign members. 

 The society's income is derived from funded and 

 landed property, and the annual contributions of 

 the Fellows. Each Fellow contributed 4 yearly, 

 or paid a life-composition of 60, with an admi--iim 

 fee of 10, till, a few years ago, a fund was raised 

 to abolish admission leer, and reduce the annual 

 contribution to 3. Each Fellow is entitled to the 

 Philosophical Transactions and Proceedings, and In 

 the use of the library' of about 45,000 volumes. 

 The society formerly undertook the administra- 

 tion of the 1000 annually voted by parliament for 

 scientific purposes, and also assisted in the admin- 

 istration of an additional grant. In 1882 a single 

 grant of 4000 was substituted for the fund ami 

 grant of past years. The society also assists in the 

 naming of the Meteorological Council, which re- 

 ceives a government grant. The president is a 

 trustee of the British Museum. In fulfilment of 

 trusts the society award annually, in recognition 

 of scientific work and discoveries, the ( 'opley medal 

 and two Royal medals ; the Rumford medal every 

 two years for researches in light or heat ; nnd the 

 Davy medal for chemical investigations. Some of 

 the most illustrious names in the annals of science 

 appear on the roll of president* of the Royal Society. 



The ROYAL SOCIKTV <>F EI>INIUI:I;H, which took 

 the place of the Philosophical Society of that citv, 

 was incorporated by royal charter in 1783. It 

 owed it- origin to Principal Robertson the his- 

 torian, who successfully laboured to found in 

 Edinburgh a society on the model of the Berlin 

 Academy, for the investigation and discussion of 

 subjects in every branch of science, erudition, and 

 taste. In obtaining the royal charter the Principal 

 was aided by the influence of Henry, Duke of 

 Buccleuch, who zealously co-operated in the found- 

 ation of the society. The society was formally 

 constituted at a meeting held in the College Library 

 on the 23d June 1783, where the subsequent meet- 

 ings were held till 1810, when the society purchased 

 a nouse in George Street. In 1826 the society 

 removed to its present apartments, leased from 

 government, in the Royal Institution buildings in 

 Princes Street The original list of members included 

 the names of most of tin- literati of Scotland such 

 as David Hume, Dugald Stewart, Henry Macken/ie, 

 Adam Smith, Thomas Reid, Joseph Home, Sir 

 James Hall, Joseph Black, James Hutton, and 

 James Watt. The first president was Henry, Duke 

 of Buccleuch ; and amongst his successors have 

 been Sir Walter Scott, the Duke of Argyll, Sir 

 David Brewster, and Sir William Thomson. 



The meetings of the society are held on the first 

 and third Mondays of every month from DecemU-r 

 to July. The funds derived from fees are supple- 

 mented by an annual grant of 300 voted by 

 parliament. The papers read before this teamed 

 body are published in its Transactions, of which 

 thirty five volumes have l>een published in quarto. 

 Abstracts of the papers also appear in its Proa-fil- 

 ings, of which seventeen volumes have ap|ienred in 

 octavo. The number of ordinary Fellows is about 

 490, of honorary British Fellows 20, and of honorary 

 Foreign Fellows 36. The society has the dispo-al 

 of some valuable pri/es, which are bestowed on the 

 authors of the best communications ,, scientific 

 and other subjects. These are the Keith Pri/e, 

 founded by Alexander Keith of Dunnottar ; the 

 M'Dougall Brisbane Prize, by Sir Thomas M. 

 r.risbane; the Neill Prix..-, by'Dr Patrick Neill ; 

 and the Gunning Victoria Jubilee Prize, by I'l K. 

 II. Cunning. See the history of the society in 

 Neill's index to the Triiiisin-lii.iix. 



Royalty, originally the seigniorage paid to the 

 crowu for a manor of which the king is lord, or a 



