42 Presidentship of Martin Folkes 1751 



most of his life was devoted to parliamentary work. He 

 became premier of the Coalition Cabinet of 1765 at the early 

 age of thirty-five, and after he had been leader of the opposi- 

 tion in the House of Lords for some thirteen years, he was 

 again charged with the office of prime-minister in the spring 

 of 1782, the year of his death. He was elected a Fellow of 

 the Royal Society in 1751. Having sent half a buck to the 

 Club in August of this year he was elected an Honorary 

 member, and dined twice in that capacity. 



Another visitor, Sir George Savile, Bart., was also a parlia- 

 mentarian, and, like so many of his contemporaries, had in 

 his youth fought against the Scottish rebels. Having been 

 given a Captain's commission he raised his company of fifty 

 Yorkshire men in three or four days. Thereafter he went 

 to Cambridge, where he graduated M.A. and LL.D. in 1749. 

 He began a successful parliamentary career in 1759 as 

 member for Yorkshire, and continued to represent that 

 constituency to the end. He was a resolute Whig, with a 

 high character for integrity, liberality, and public spirit. 

 He was elected into the Royal Society in 1747. 



1752. The Annual General Meeting took place this year 

 on July 30, and was attended by fifteen members and one 

 visitor. Lord Charles Cavendish presided. 



The Treasurer reported that the expenses during the year 

 had amounted to 3 I2S. iod., and he had in hand a balance 

 of 2 i6s. 4d. 



The list of members having been read over, it appeared 

 that two members had not attended during the preceding 

 twelve months : "" they were deemed no longer members." 

 Together with the vacancy left over from the last election 

 there were three places to be filled. On a ballot Dr. John 

 Pringle, Dr. Mark Akenside, and Francis Fauquier were 

 elected. It should be noted that at this time only one of 

 these three new members Dr. Pringle was F.R.S., though 

 the two others were elected into the Society in the following 

 February. 



John Pringle, whose name will come frequently into 

 later pages of this chronicle, was one of the noteworthy 



