246 Life of Count Rumford. 



delay it was not until the 2d of April, 1802, nearly 

 six years after Rumford had made his gift, that the 

 Council received the impressions from the dies ordered 

 from Mr. Milton. These " were approved, and orders 

 were given for striking one gold and one silver medal 

 from the same, according to the regulations prescribed 

 by the Council." The cost of sinking the dies was 

 105, which sum was paid out of the funds of the 

 Society. The engraving which I have procured of this 

 first style of the Rumford Medal is copied from that in 

 Weld's History. 



It was with a most graceful courtesy, as well as in 

 conformity with the strictest construction of the terms 

 of the premium, that the first award of it was made to 

 its founder. The minutes of the Council of the Society 

 state, that on the nth November, 1802, " the allotment 

 of the gold and silver medals on Count Rumford's 

 foundation was taken into consideration, and the letter 

 respecting his donation was read, and it appearing that 

 no discovery lately published, on the subjects to which 

 they are limited, is of equal merit with those of the 

 Count himself, it was unanimously resolved, by ballot, 

 that the said medals be given to Benjamin, Count Rum- 

 ford, for his various discoveries on the subject of heat 

 and light." 



The next who received the medals was John Leslie, 

 in 1804, for " Experiments on Heat." The premium 

 was awarded in 1806, 1810, 1814, 1816, 1818, 1824, 

 1834, 1838, 1840, 1842, and 1846, and thenceforward 

 regularly in alternate years. 



Up to 1846, several biennial periods having elapsed 

 in which no award was made, the Rumford fund, 

 through the accruing dividends, had increased from 



