78 Presidentship of the Earl of Macclesfield 1761 



he was in England he had a discussion in Latin with Samuel 

 Johnson, who maintained " the superiority of Sir Isaac 

 Newton over all foreign philosophers, with a dignity and 

 eloquence that surprised that learned foreigner." 1 He dined 

 with the Club on 5th and 26th June and again on nth 

 December. 



1761. This year seems to have been uneventful in the 

 Annals of the Club. The Annual General Meeting on July 

 3oth was attended by only eleven members, one of whom was 

 Cavendish, and the Chair was taken by Peter Davall. No 

 vacancies were reported either from death or from non- 

 attendance. The Treasurer intimated that the expenses 

 connected with gifts of venison, salmon and beef were 

 2 45., and that the deficiencies which had to be made good 

 for absentees at dinner amounted to 6 us. He further 

 stated that the balance in his hands (3 8s.) was insufficient 

 for the outlays of the ensuing year. It was accordingly 

 agreed that each member should pay five shillings to the 

 Treasurer for the supply of the Fund. 



The customary presents of venison continued to arrive 

 during the year, but there is no mention of turtles in the 

 register. The Earl of Marchmont, however, did not fail to 

 supply his preserved salmon, sometimes " pickled after the 

 manner they pickle it to send to the East Indies." The 

 fish course in the weekly dinner now frequently included 

 one or more Cod's heads and the Treasurer specially notes 

 of one of these that it was " large and good." He also 

 chronicles in his characteristic way that on April i6th " the 

 company were entertained with a mighty Chine of Beef 

 and 2 brace of large Carp by Mr. Hanbury, arid drank his 

 health in claret." He has, however, omitted to give the 

 measurement and weight of this joint. The next week, 

 Thursday " being St. George's Day, the Society of Anti- 

 quaries dined in this room and Mr. Cole through mistake did 

 not provide a Dinner for the Club, of which only four met." 



Few guests of note are this year recorded as having been 

 present at the dinners. One of them, John Smeaton, the 



1 Boswell's Life of Johnson (Birkbeck Hill's Edit.), ii. 125. 



