1813 Increased Cost of Dinners 243 



regard to these defaulters, and the Treasurer, having made 

 the announcement, passed on to propose that as some 

 alteration seemed to be necessary in regard to the mode 

 of paying the Tavern expenses, which were steadily mount- 

 ing up, a Committee should be formed and asked to meet at 

 the "Crown and Anchor" on the following Thursday a little 

 before the hour of dinner to consider the matter. The 

 minute of this Committee, as entered in the principal Minute- 

 book of the Club, for the Anniversary of 1814, runs as follows : 

 " That the members shall in future pay 8/ instead of 6/ 

 at each meeting, and that the landlord do charge 6/6 instead 

 of 5/ per head for eating." The financial condition of the 

 Club at this time cannot be clearly understood from the 

 meagre record contained in the weekly registers. The contri- 

 bution of one pound levied at the Anniversary was paid at 

 the time by most of the members present, and obtained from 

 the other members as they appeared at the dinners during 

 the last half of the year. But on 3oth December the follow- 

 ing minute appears in the register : " resolved that each 

 member do pay 3 for defraying the expenses of the present 

 year." The raising of the Tavern prices appears to have 

 been coincident with an increased demand on the Fund. 

 The poor attendance in the months of autumn this year 

 would cause a heavy expense in making up for deficiencies. 



William T. Brande, who had often been a guest of the 

 Club and now became a member, was a laborious chemist 

 and lecturer. By his lectures at the Royal Institution and 

 elsewhere, and by his writings he did good service in pro- 

 moting the spread of knowledge concerning the aims and 

 achievements of science. He was elected into the Royal 

 Society in 1809. 



Sir Robert Inglis for many years represented Oxford 

 University in Parliament. He was an upright Tory country- 

 gentleman with pleasing manners, who from his high char- 

 acter rather than from his talent acquired no little influence 

 in his day. He joined many societies, including the Royal, 

 into which he was admitted on March 4th of this year, and 

 the Club lost no time in showing its appreciation of his 



