1797 Thomas Young 205 



" Mr. Young." By this time Thomas Young, when only 

 twenty years of age, had flashed his brilliant genius upon 

 the world. He had sent to the Royal Society in 1793 a 

 paper on the crystalline lens of the eye, so original and 

 important that on the igth of June 1794, that is six days 

 after his twenty-first birthday, he was elected F.R.S. We 

 may believe that it was he who appeared at the Club this 

 year for the first time. He was now only on the threshold 

 of his marvellous but all too brief career, in which he ranged 

 with the march of a giant through unexplored domains in 

 science and literature, illuminating every subject on which 

 he touched. 



Another guest invited by the President was the eleventh 

 Duke of Somerset who had succeeded to his title three years 

 before at the age of eighteen. He became F.R.S. in 1797 

 and in later years took part in the affairs of the Linnaean 

 and other Societies. He became President of the Royal 

 Institution and for more than thirty years presided over 

 the Royal Literary Fund. Other visitors in the course of 

 the year were Captain Riou, Captain Vancouver, Mr. Shaw 

 Lefevre, Admiral Dalrymple, Lord Valentia and Mr. Giddy 

 (Gilbert). 



1797. The Annual General Meeting for 1797, held on I3th 

 July, was attended by the President and eighteen other 

 members. The Treasurer reported that his disbursements, 

 which, as usual, were almost entirely for the completion 

 of the payment of tavern bills, amounted to 68 6s. 6d., 

 leaving an unexpended balance of 6 175. 4d. He pointed 

 out that in consequence of the augmentation of the duties 

 on wines, and also of the rise in the price of provisions, 

 the expenses of the Club exceeded the sums hitherto voted, 

 and that it was desirable that an addition should be made 

 to the allowance which the landlord received. It was con- 

 sequently agreed that an increase of two shillings for each 

 member should be made to the sum of four shillings at 

 present paid to him for dinner, and that of this increase 

 " one shilling should be allowed to the landlord and one 

 shilling should be applied towards the discharge of the 



