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surely important that the award of the medals, like the award of the 

 Fellowships in the University of Dublin, should carry with it the 

 full approbation of the whole Society. If we are to have meetings to 

 transact business, it is of the highest importance to make them 

 easily accessible to all Fellows by the choice of a suitable season, 

 so that every person, whether on the Council or not, might have the 

 opportunity of exercising his privileges with the least amount of 

 personal inconvenience. It is in this way we shall render the Royal 

 Society even more popular than it is, and hasten its growth in 

 strength and influence, so that it will become, not the Royal Society 

 of London merely, but the Royal Society of the whole kingdom. 



I have thus ventured to suggest certain changes as to the time 

 and manner of transacting the business of the Royal Society : the 

 objects we have in view would, I think, be much promoted by 

 another innovation, which it requires some courage to propose. I 

 mean a large increase in the number of the Council. From what I 

 have observed, I am convinced that to enable the Council to exercise 

 an effectual supervision over all the sciences, it is necessary to make 

 ample room, so that each science should be fully represented. There 

 is another object perhaps of even greater importance to be attained 

 by the same means, an effectual representation of all classes upon the 

 Council, so that men of general attainments should have their place, 

 and the government of the Society should not be exclusively 

 entrusted to men, who, however eminent in especial branches of 

 science, may not be always the most conversant with worldly affairs, 

 or the most competent to transact that common-place business, upon 

 which, in the main, the prosperity of Societies depends : nothing 

 would do more than such a change, to promote harmony and good 

 feeling within our walls ; nothing would contribute more to increase 

 the influence of the Royal Society in advancing the general interests 

 of science. 



I have already ventured to say, that I had little doubt but that the 

 memorial with its two hundred signatures in favour of juxtaposition, 

 backed up by public opinion, would produce the desired result, and 

 that before long we should see the leading scientific Societies under 

 the same roof. I think I cannot now err in expressing a confident 

 belief, that whatever changes may be required in our Society to 

 meet the just wishes of scientific men, will be carried out with 



