SECTION I 



THE HISTORY OF THE PHILOSOPHICAL CLUB 



ON April i2th, 1847, twenty-seven Fellows of the Royal 

 Society met at Clunn's Hotel, Covent Garden, and decided 

 on forming a Club. For this the name of the Fortj^-seven 

 Club was at first suggested, but it was ultimately decided 

 to call it the Philosophical Club. Rules were also proposed, 

 discussed, and adopted, as the Minutes duly record, but 

 I think it needless to print them in full, because some are 

 quite of the usual character. The following, however, are 

 more or less indicative of the special purpose of the Club : 



(1) The purpose of the Club is to promote as much as 

 possible the scientific objects of the Royal Society, to 

 facilitate intercourse between those Fellows who are actively 

 engaged in cultivating the various branches of Natural 

 Science and who have contributed to its progress, to increase 

 the attendance at the evening meetings, 1 and to encourage 

 the contribution and discussion of papers. 



(2) The Members of the Club shall be limited to forty- 

 seven, of whom thirty-five at least shall be resident within 

 ten miles of the General Post Office. With the exception 

 of scientific foreigners temporarily visiting this country, 

 no strangers are to be present at any of the Meetings. 



(3) With the exception of the President of the Royal 

 Society for the time being, those only shall be eligible as 

 Members of the Club who are Fellows of the Royal Society 

 and authors of a paper published in the Transactions of 



1 The Royal Society then met at 8.30. 

 P.C. A 



