1793 Edward Gibbon 199 



the mob or the organised executions of the revolutionary 

 committees, found refuge in England. The whole male 

 population of France capable of bearing arms was called 

 out, opening a vista of years of pitiless war. It was with 

 these surroundings that the Royal Society and its dining 

 Club carried on their meetings during this memorable year 

 of the Reign of Terror. 



The weekly dinners took place as usual, but there were 

 hardly any foreign visitors and a smaller number than usual 

 of guests from the home country. The total attendance 

 from the Anniversary of last year to that of this year was 

 the smallest for some time before and after, the total number 

 including guests and members being 497. 



The Club was honoured this year with the presence of 

 Edward Gibbon, author of the immortal " Decline and Fall 

 of the Roman Empire." The Royal Society, then wider in 

 its range of sympathies than it has since become, had elected 

 him a Fellow in 1788. His health was now failing, but 

 he had been leisurely preparing to come to England mainly 

 for the purpose of returning a visit which his friend Lord 

 Sheffield had paid him at Lausanne, when on the 26th April 

 he received news of Lady Sheffield's death. Resolving at 

 once to hasten his journey and join his friend without 

 delay, he reached England at the beginning of June and 

 went to Sheffield Place, Lord Sheffield's Sussex home. It 

 was while staying there that the two friends received from 

 Sir Joseph Banks a joint invitation to dine with the Club on 

 nth July. They accepted and their names appear on the 

 dinner list, Mr. Gibbon on the President's right and Lord 

 Sheffield on his left. The company numbered fourteen and 

 included Henry Cavendish, A. Dalrymple, Dr. Maskelyne, 

 Dr. P. Russell, and W. Marsden. This was probably one 

 of the last appearances of the great historian in public. 

 He came again to London for a short visit, returning to 

 Sheffield Place for Christmas. Early in the following year he 

 was again in London. But his health was now so seriously 

 impaired as to necessitate an operation. He grew gradually 

 feebler, and died in London on i6th January 1794. 



