li'iYAI. SOCIKTY. 



KUBKOLA. 



20H 



luas|ihj Tn fin* ucoasion on which the society became possessed of 

 the nitin- of rewarding merit arose from a bequest of Sir Godfrey 

 . one of iu mrmben; this gentleman, at his death in 1709, left 

 lofii, toe intetwt f which, or 61., was to be given annually to the 

 pcnun who, in the coum of the preceding year, had written the best 

 ll-r on any subject relating to experimental philosophy. The .l..na 

 tiou has sine* been put in the more liberal form of a gold medal, and 

 it is awarded indifferently either to foreigner. .1 Knglishm.-ii, for the 

 Jir of encouraging an honourable com petition among the philosopher* 

 of all countries. 



In I'M, Sir Benjamin Thomson (Count Rumfonl) presented to the 

 tocioty lOOOt in the S percrtit. i.t.vk. for the pur|K.se of fonning.with 

 the interact for two yean (601.), a biennial prize to be given for the 

 most important discovery, or the most useful improvement, made 

 during the two preceding yean on heat or on light. The prize is given 

 in the form of a gold and a silver medal, both of which ore struck in 

 the same die. During several of the biennial |>eriods no opportunity 

 occurred of awarding the price, and at these times the interest was 

 added to the principal sum. The interest of this additional sum is 

 always given with the two medals ; and the first who received the 

 prtxe was Count Humford himself, in 1SOO, and the second was 

 Profnwor Leslie (1N>4>. In 1825 his Majesty George IV., for the pur- 

 pose of further promoting the objects and progress of science, mode to 

 .11 annual grant of 100 guineas in order to establish two 

 (rue medals, which are to be presented to the persons who during the 

 year shall make the most important discovery in science or art ; and in 

 the medals were awarded to Mr. John Dal ton and Mr. James 



On delivering to a gentleman the medal which had been awarded to 

 him for his discoveries in science, Sir John 1'ringle, who held the 

 office of president from 1772 to 1778, made it a rule to deliver a 

 speech, in which, after touching on the history of that branch of phi- 

 losophy to which the discovery or communication referred, he stated 

 the particular points in which the individual had distinguished himself. 

 The first of these speeches was made on presenting to Dr. Priestley 

 the gold medal for his paper entitled ' Observations on the Different 

 Kinds of Air,' which had been read before the society in March, 1772. 

 Thin liberal practice, by which the value of the testimonial to the 

 receiver is so much enhanced, is still continued ; and it is also become 

 customary, at every anniversary meeting, to notice, in an appropriate 

 speech, the principal circumstances in the life of any distinguished 

 member who may have died during the year. 



It is perhaps impossible that, in a large body of men engaged in 

 similar pursuits, differences should not arise ; and the Royal Society 

 lias not been entirely free from the evils attending disagreements 

 among its members. It will be enough to refer to the dispute about 

 the comparative advantages of blunt and pointed conductors for pro- 

 tecting buildings from the effects of lightning, which in 1778 arose to 

 --n.il a height that the president, Sir John 1'ringle, felt himself com- 

 pelled to resign [PmxuLE, JOHN, in BIOG. Div.j ; and to the accu- 

 sations at a later period against Sir Joseph Banks of partiality in the 

 disposal of the medals and even in the election of members. In the 

 tirnt instance, the president may have erred in putting himself at the 

 head of a party in the society ; but it is probable that most of 

 the grievances subsequently complained of originated mainly in. the 

 disappointed expectations of ambitious individuals. If at any time, 

 however, the complaints have not been without foundation, the ele- 

 vated character of the papers which for many years have been published 

 iu the ' Transactions ' shows that the interests of science have been 

 usly placed above every private consideration. 



According to the present statutes of the society, every candidate for 

 admission must be recommended by a certificate in writing signed by 

 nix or more fellows, of whom three at least must certify that the 

 recommendation is from personal knowledge ; and the name, qualifi- 

 cations, tic., of the candidate must be entered in a book kept for the 

 purpose. At the first ordinary meeting in March of each year a list of 

 the names of all candidates proposed subsequently to March 1 of the 

 preceding year, is suspended in the meeting-room till the day of 

 election ; and a printed list is forwarded to every fellow of the society. 

 From this list the council select by ballot fifteen names to be reeom- 

 inended to the society for election. The election takes place on the 

 first Thursday in June, when the person elected must appear for 

 admission on or before the fourth ordinary meeting of the society 

 after his election ; and previously to such appearance he must pay the 

 sum of luV. for admission money ; he must also pay 41. per annum as 

 long at he continues a feUow of the society ; but the annual payments 

 may be compounded for by paying at once the sum of 60t Fellows 

 are entitled gratis to a copy of the ' Philosophical Transactions,' com- 

 mencing with that volume which is published next after their admission. 

 Any fellow disobeying the statutes or orders of the society or council, 

 or detaining the society by speaking, writing, or printing, or doing any- 

 thing detrimental or dishonourable to the society, will be ejected 

 from it. 



A prince of the blood, a peer of the United Kingdom, a member of 

 the privy council, any foreign sovereign prince, or the son of such 

 prince, may be proposed at one of the ordinary meetings of the society 

 and voted for on the same day, notice having been given of such pro- 

 posal at the preceding meeting of the society. Foreign members are 



exempted from the obligations which ordinary fellows are enjoined to 

 perform ; but their number is not to exceed fifty. 



The council and officers for the ensuing year are elected on the 30th 

 of November; the latter consist of the president, treasurer, principal 

 secretaries, and foreign secretary. The new council consists of eleven 

 members of the existing council and of ton fellows who are not so. 

 These are nominated previously to the anniversary meeting. 



The ordinary meetings of the society are held once a week, from 

 the third Thursday in November till the third Thursday in J uiie, at 

 half-past 8 P.M., in the apartments at Burlington House. 



ROYALTY. The French words rui and royal correspond to the 

 Latin words rcjc and rtgalit ; and from mi/al has been formed iw/n/'c 

 (now royatiit) ; whence has been borrowed the English word ivi</n/.',/. 

 The corresponding Latin word is rryulitaf, which occurs in the Latin 

 of the middle ages. (Ducange, in r.) 



Royally properly denotes the condition or itatut of a person of royal 

 rank, such as a king or queen, or reigning prince or duke, or any of 

 their kindred. [KING.] The possession of the royal ttuliis or con- 

 dition does not indicate that the possessor of it is invested with any 

 determinate political powers; and therefore royalty is not equivalent 

 to monarchy or tortreiynty. The powers possessed by persons of royal 

 dignity have been very different in different times and places ; and 

 have varied from the performance of some merely honorary functions to 

 the exercise of the entire sovereignty. The tiny (ara*r, flaaiATJtj) 

 of the Homeric age were properly a governing class of nobles. (See 

 Muller, ' Hist, of Liter, of Greece,' ch. iv, 1.) Thus Telemochn 

 that there are many kings in Ithaca, both old and young, besides 

 himself (' Od.', i. 394) ; and Alciuous says that he rules over the 

 l'h;earians, with twelve other kings (' Od.,' viii. 390). As popular 

 institutions were developed in Greece, the office of king became, in 

 several states, merely honorary, and was particularly connected with 

 the performance of certain ancient religious rites. Thus at Athens, 

 the king-archon (tipxav ftaai\tiis) was an annual officer, who had the 

 superintendence of religious affairs ; his wife was called, during the 

 year of office, Paal\uraa, or queen. (Compare Hermann, 'Cr. Ant.,' 

 56.) Rome likewise retained, after the expulsion of its kings, a high 

 tul officer, named the ting of the tacrijices (rex sacritieulus), who 

 performed the sacred rites which had formerly been performed by tho 

 kings. In like manner the Teutonic kings were only the chiefs of the 

 military and sacerdotal aristocracy of the tribe, and did not possess 

 the entire sovereign power ("nee regibus infinita ac libera potestas,") 

 says Tacitus, ' Germ.,' 7. [Kixci.] 



In popular discourse royalty is made equivalent to monarchy or torc- 

 rt iyiit i/ ; and a king is called monarch or sovereign without any re- 

 ference to the fact whether he possesses the entire sovereign p.iwei 

 or only a portion of it. 



It may be added, that the attribute of royalty is sometimes trans- 

 ferred metaphorically to certain animals or species of animals, in order 

 to denote pre-eminence. Thus the principal bee in the hive is called 

 the queen-bee ; the lion is known (particularly in fables) as the king 

 of animals ; and a species of tiger is styled the royal tiyer. Compare 

 SOVI:KFH;NTY. 



Royalty is alo used to describe certain rights in property. Thus on 

 the working of mines of gold and silver in the United Kingdom, the 

 sovereign is entitled to a royalty, as is also the Prince of Wales, as 

 Duke of Cornwall, on the working of tin mines. The term is likewise 

 applied to the sum paid for the use of a patent or a copyright. 



RUBEFACIENTS are external agents which cause redness of the. 

 part to which they are applied. If long continued, they may, according 

 to their nature, produce inflammation and some of its consequences. 

 In such circumstances they are termed Bum Bfl, or ESCHAIIOTICS. 

 It is however a degree of action short of what entitles them to the.-c 

 appellations which is now contemplated. Thus friction with the hand 

 or warm cloths often relieves spasmodic or neuralgic pains ; and a hot 

 poultice or warm fomentations lessen inflammation of superficial or 

 even deep-seated parts. Embrocations, when of a stimulating kind, 

 act as rubefacienU ; and blisters kept in contact with the surface for 

 a short tune only, cause redness of the part, and some remote secondary 

 effects of a very beneficial kind. Many cases of fever iu the sinking 

 stage may be recovered by a succession of flying blisters, as these tem- 

 porary applications arc termed, placed on different parts of the body, 

 particularly over parts where the skin is thin. Their action may lie 

 expedited by previously nibbing the part with proof spirit or oil of 

 turpentine, or by using a portion of linen steeped in the acetum can- 

 tharidix instead of the common blister. By diligent employment of 

 such means many valuable lives may be saved. Itubefacienta are 

 also very usefully applied to the spine in many nervous, and some 

 cutaneous diseases. 



RUBEOLA is the name given by Sauvages, in 1768, to the disease 

 known as measles [MEASLES]. He was followed by Willan, Bate-man, 

 and other writers on exanthematous diseases. Previous to the time 

 of Sauvages the measles was called morbilli, a name which is at present 

 adopted by many medical writers. The term rubeola has been re- 

 cently applied by Dr. Copland and other writers, to a disease which 

 has been called by Hildebrand and other German writers Rotheln. 

 This disease possesses characters in common with measles and scarlet 

 fever, and is supposed to be a hybrid disease originating in the poisons 

 of these two diseases. However much such a theory may be open to 



