178 Presidentship of Sir Joseph Banks 1787 



dates had been read, a ballot was taken when the following 

 four gentlemen were declared to be duly elected : Philip 

 Stephens, William Marsden, Edmund Turner and Matthew 

 Raper. Although the Treasurer had been for more than 

 six months too ill to attend to the duties of his office, the 

 Club were unwilling to make any change, and their customary 

 vote of thanks to him was recorded with unusual fulness : 

 " the thanks of the Club were voted to Mr. Russell for the 

 care and attention which he had paid to the interest of the 

 Club, and the great trouble which he had taken therein/' 

 He died in less than a fortnight after this meeting. 



A few words may be inserted with regard to the standing 

 of the new members. Philip Stephens, now in the 62nd 

 year of his age, was Secretary to the Admiralty and member 

 of Parliament for Sandwich. He became F.R.S. in 1771 and 

 was created a baronet in 1795. 



William Marsden, after serving under the East India 

 Company, returned to London where in 1804 he became 

 Secretary to the Admiralty. He published in 1783 a " His- 

 tory of Sumatra," followed by other works. In the course 

 of his life he accumulated a valuable collection of coins 

 which before his death he gave to the British Museum. He 

 was elected into the Royal Society in 1783, and became 

 one of the most active and useful members of that body, 

 being elected its Treasurer in 1802. In 1788 he was chosen 

 Treasurer of the Club. He reached the age of 82 and died 

 in 1836. 



Edmund Turner, M.A. of Trinity College, Cambridge, sat 

 for a short time in Parliament. He had strong antiquarian 

 proclivities and published several works on antiquarian 

 subjects. He was made F.R.S. in 1786. 



Matthew Raper may be conjectured to have been the 

 son of the member of the same name who was elected 

 into the Club in 1760. He became F.R.S. in 1783. 



This year there passed away the last of the original little 

 group of eight by whom the Club had been started in 1743 

 Sir William Watson. He was able to attend four dinners 

 in the early months of the year, but he died before its end 



