82 Presidentship of the Earl of Macclesfield 1763 



much as you can. He will show you what manners and 

 graces are." l Horace Walpole, who saw a good deal of 

 the Duke when he was in England, and received much 

 kindness from him afterwards in Paris, describes him as 

 " thin and small," " with one wrinkle more than I have." 2 



Among the members of the Club whom the Duke met 

 at the Club dinner were the Earl of Macclesfield, who pre- 

 sided, the Earl of Morton, the Earl of Marchmont, Earl 

 Verney, Lord Willoughby, Lord Lyttelton, Henry Cavendish, 

 Dr. Watson, James West, the Bishop of St. Davids, Dr. 

 Birch and a few more. 



A month later (March 17) the Royal Philosophers enter- 

 tained another company of notable foreigners. Chief among 

 them was Sigr.or Lorenzo Morosini, the Ambassador Extra- 

 ordinary from Venice, who had been elected into the Royal 

 Society the week before. There were present also Count 

 Simone Stratico, who was also made F.R.S. at the begin- 

 ning of the following year, and Joseph Jerome le Fran$ais 

 de Lalande. The latter, a noted astronomer of the day, 

 made his name widely known by his researches on comets, 

 and particularly that of Halley, and subsequently by the 

 construction of an ingenious astronomical chart on which 

 the precise time of the transits of Venus in 1761 and 1769 

 were shown for all countries on the globe. His cleverness in 

 promptly publishing the results of observations made through- 

 out the world, which his extensive correspondence enabled 

 him to generalise, added much to his popularity. He was 

 elected into the Royal Society on 24th November this year. 

 He returned to England in 1788 and again dined with the 

 Club. 



The English visitors at this feast included Maskelyne, 

 Mr. (afterwards Sir James) Porter, the Bishop of Carlisle 

 and seven others. In honour of the assemblage Josiah 

 Colebrooke ordered a more voluminous dinner than usual, 

 and has recorded that " the eating was 2/6 each, and they 

 drank claret." It may be of interest to present, as the 



1 Chesterfield Letters, I. p. 286. 



2 Walpole's Letters, Mrs. Toynbee's Edit. vol. v. pp. 259, 330. 



