The Club's first Treasurer 2 1 



claims entertained by his colleagues in the Club who had 

 enjoyed the best opportunity of judging them. It is worthy 

 to be quoted here. It bears that " Mr. Josiah Colebrooke 

 of Budge Row, Apothecary, a gentleman of great merit 

 and curiosity, well versed in several parts of Natural History 

 and other branches of useful knowledge, being desirous of 

 offering himself a Candidate for election into the Royal 

 Society, is recommended by us from our personal know- 

 ledge of him, as meriting the honour he desires." The 

 first of the signatures is that of the North American merchant, 

 antiquary, and naturalist, Peter Collinson, the helpful friend 

 and correspondent of Benjamin Franklin. Then follow the 

 signatures of the Earl of Macclesfield, at that time President 

 of the Royal Societ}^ to whom was mainly due the change 

 effected in 1752 from the Old Style to the New in the com- 

 putation of the year ; 1 Anthony, fourth Earl of Shaftes- 

 bury, who had been elected into the Royal Society in the 

 previous year ; Lord Willoughby of Parham already referred 

 to ; John Ward, Professor of Rhetoric at Gresham College ; 

 the Rev. Thomas Birch, D.D., who had now been elected 

 Secretary to the Royal Society ; William Watson, M.D., and 

 other Fellows. Colebrooke was more especially antiquarian 

 in his studies. He formed one of the original members of 

 the Society of Antiquaries and at the time of his death was 

 Treasurer to that Society. He wrote papers on antiquarian 

 subjects, and contributed to the Philosophical Transactions 

 an account of some interesting experiments conducted by 

 himself to elucidate the art of Encaustic Painting in use 

 among the Ancients. 



It is impossible to peruse the register of the weekly 

 dinners and the minutes of the General and Special Meet- 

 ings, so long and so continuously kept by him in his own 

 handwriting, without obtaining a more or less definite im- 

 pression of the Treasurer's personality. He seems to have 

 enjoyed good health up to the close of his life, if we may 

 judge from his assiduous attendance, and from the bold, firm 



1 It must be borne in mind that the records of the Club previous to 1752 

 follow the old style, which made the legal year begin on March 25. 



