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NOTES ON THE HISTORY OF THE STATUTES 1 



I. THE STATUTES FROM 1663 TO 1752. 



DURING the succeeding ninety years changes were from time to time made in 

 the Statutes ; but no new version of the Statutes appears to have been drawn 

 up until the year 1752. 2 



* The laws of the Royal Society, like those of other communities, were altered 

 from time to time, until they appeared sufficient to embrace every contingency 

 that might occur, while they held their meetings in Gresham College, which 

 they continued to do for near the space of fifty years. But the arrangement 

 of the Society's affairs being somewhat altered upon possessing a house of their 

 own, it became necessary to make different establishments in many particulars 

 and to alter and augment some of their Statutes. However, the greater part 

 of them was still left in the original form, suited to the situation of the Society 

 at Gresham College. 1 3 



Between 1663 and 1752, the following seem to have been the most important 

 changes. 



(a) The Election of Fellows. 



In the original Statutes of 1663, Cap. VI, * Of the Election and Admission 

 of Fellows.' Stat. i provides that candidates be propounded at one meeting, 

 and put to the vote at some other meeting at which twenty-one fellows (as 

 prescribed by Charter) are present ; but that every one of his Majesty's 

 subjects having the title and place of Baron, or any higher title and place, and 

 every one of his Majesty's Privy Council, may be propounded and put to the 

 vote the same day. And Stat. iii of the same chapter provides that ' the name 

 of every person propounded as a Candidate, together with the name of the 

 Fellow proposing, shall be entered in the Journal-book ' ; by which it appears 

 that * propounding ' by one Fellow was sufficient. 



In 1682, however, the following was proposed on August 2, and passed on 

 August 5 : 



* The Statute for Election of Fellows having by long Experience been found 

 insufficient for bringing in persons qualifyed for the ends of the Institution of 

 the Royal Society, few balloting in the negative and presuming the person to be 

 well known to the Member that Proposeth the Candidate, it is thought requisite 

 by the Councell to propose this Statute following, 



1 Reprinted with additions from ' Proceedings of the Royal Society ', vol. 50, p. 501. 



2 The British Museum contains a small 8vo edition, dated 1 728, but this appears to be 

 a verbatim copy of the Statutes of 1663, except that Cap. VI, Sec. 7, begins with the 

 words 'The admission of, instead of ' The election and admission of. 



3 Preface to Statutes, Edition of 1776. 



