68 Presidentship of the Earl of Macclesfield 1758 



marked, and branded by a refusal, he thinks himself obliged in 

 Honour to declare, that he will, to the utmost of his power, oppose 

 the best and wisest measures that your Majesty yourself can ever 

 dictate. 



And your Majesty's Petitioner will ever pray &c. 



1758. The Annual General Meeting for 1758 was held on 

 July 27th, and was attended by twenty members, James 

 Burrow in the Chair. The Treasurer stated that the expenses 

 connected with venison and salmon had amounted to i 73., 

 and that the Fund had paid 6 us. 8d. for deficiencies 

 in the attendance of members, while there remained in his 

 hands a balance of 2 i6s. id. 



It was further announced that George Bell had died since 

 the last Anniversary and that Welbore Ellis, elected at 

 that Anniversary, was believed to be out of England, as he 

 had never attended nor paid his admission fee. It was 

 decided by a majority that his election was void, and 

 a further resolution was adopted that members who 

 propose candidates must inform them when they are 

 elected. 



To fill the two vacancies thus caused John Hyde (F.R.S. 

 1752) and Samuel Dyer were elected. The latter was not 

 at that time a Fellow of the Royal Society, but was elected 

 on March 6th 1760. He was a remarkably able man of 

 letters and an esteemed friend of Samuel Johnson, who had 

 the greatest respect for his scholarship. He was the first 

 addition to Johnson's Literary Club, after the original 

 nine, and, as Johnson boasted, was in constant attendance 

 there. Dyer was described by Edmund Burke as " a man 

 of profound and general erudition." x He had dined 

 frequently with the Royal Philosophers before they made 

 him a member of their fraternity and he continued faithful 

 in his adherence. The last dinner he attended was held 

 on July 9th 1772, and he died on September I4th of that 

 year. 



1 Boswell's Life of Johnson (Birkbeck Hill's Edition), iv. p. n note. Sir 

 Joshua Reynolds and Malone both believed him to have been the author 

 of the " Letters " of Junius. 



