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ADVERTISEMENT. 



TH E Committee appointed by the Royal Society to direcl: the pub- 

 lication of the Philofophical Tranfa^lom, take this opportunity to 

 acquaint the Public, that it fully appears, as well from the council-books 

 and journals of the Societ}^, as from repeated declarations which have 

 been made in feveral {ovmcr Tranfactions, that the printing of them was 

 always, from time to time, the fmgle act of the refpeftive Secretai-ies, till 



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the Forty-feventh Volume : the Society, as aBody, never interefling them- 

 felves any further in their publication, than by occafionally recommending 

 the revival of them to fome of their Secretaries, when, from the particular 

 circumftances of their affairs, the TraJtfadions had happened for any 

 length of time to be intermitted. And this feeras principally to have 

 been done with a view to fatisfy the Public, that their ufual meetings 

 were then continued for the improvement of knowledge, and benefit of 

 mankind, the great ends of their firfl: inftitution by the Pvoyal Charters, 

 and which they have ever fmce (leadily purfued. 



But the Society being of late years greatly inlarged, and their com- 

 munications more numerous, ft was thought advifable, that a Committee 

 of their members mould be appointed to reconfider the papers read be- 

 fore them, and feleft out of them fuch, as they iliould judge raoft pro- 

 per for pubHcation in the -future Tranfadions ; which was accordingly 

 done upon the 26th of March 1752. And the grounds of their choice 

 are, and will continue to be, the importance and fingularity of the fub- 

 jefts, or the advantageous manner of treating them ; without pretending 

 to anfwer for the certainty of the fafts, or propriety of the reafonings, 

 contained in the feveral papers fo publifhed, which mult ftill refl on the 

 credit or judgment of their refpeftivc authors. 



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