32 RECORD OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY 



of Plants for a year, upon subscriptions amounting to 50, to be 

 made by such members of the Society as should be willing to 

 contribute thereto ', and in December of that year the Council 

 promised to 'recommend him to the Society, to continue him 

 another year, if the subscribers would please to continue their 

 contributions'. Whether he was actually continued does not 

 appear. It will also be noticed that in the account of the 

 meeting of September 10, 1662, given above, Mr. Croone is 

 named as the Curator of a special series of experiments. 



On February 27, 1683-4, 'Mr. Hally was desired to bring in 

 experiments at the meetings of the Society in the manner of a 

 Curator, and he should be considered for it as others had been. 

 He was desired to proceed first upon magnetism, which he 

 promised to doe.' 



On May 27, 1685, Mr. Molt was 'imployed in making the 

 chymical operations', and in 1707 Dr. Douglas and Mr. Hawksbee 

 were similarly employed to prepare experiments, and were paid 

 for so doing, but do not appear to have borne the title of Curator. 

 Dr. Desaguliers, however, seems to have received this title. He 

 was elected a Fellow on July 15, 1714, and was excused his fees, 

 on account of his usefulness in the Curatorship. 



Some of the early experiments were instituted at the instigation 

 of King Charles II ; and, in the first years of the Society's 

 existence, appear to have been often prepared in such form as 

 would be likely to interest him should he attend the meeting. 

 On one occasion he sent two loadstones and desired to have an 

 account of some of the more considerable experiments made with 

 them. To another meeting his contribution consisted of 'five 

 little glass bubbles, two with liquor in them, and the other three 

 solid, in order to have the judgment of the Society concerning 

 them'. Again, his Majesty inquired 'why the sensitive plants 

 stir and contract themselves upon being touched ', and five of the 

 most eminent Fellows Dr. Wilkins, Dr. Clarke, Mr. Boyle, 

 Mr. Evelyn, and Dr. Goddard were appointed ' curators for 

 examining the fact relating to these plants'. The King even 

 invoked the Society's co-operation in an important geodetic task. 

 We read in the Journal-book of October 21, 1669, that 'the 

 Bishop of Chester [John Wilkins] acquainted the Society that 



