1823 Charles Babbage ; H. C. Oersted 279 



Earl, became F.R.S. in 1833. Charles Babbage, who has been 

 already noticed, was elected into the Royal Society in 1816. 



The autumn attendance, though slightly better than last 

 year, was still below the limit for which in August 1818 

 it had been agreed that commons should be provided during 

 the months of August, September and October (p. 257). 

 As Sir Joseph Banks was no longer available, Sir Everard 

 Home took great pains to attend during the autumn. This 

 year he presided at every dinner between the end of July 

 and the middle of October. But even this assiduity did 

 not gather a sufficient company. On one occasion he had 

 only as companions Mr. Murdoch and Mr. Barrow, who 

 were quoted to him by Sir Joseph as staunch supporters of 

 the autumn dinners. At another time only Mr. Symmons 

 appeared, and on August I4th there was no attendance, 

 so that if Sir Everard Home looked in on that evening 

 he probably departed and dined elsewhere. 



When in 1786 the Treasurer who then took office gave 

 up the practice of preserving a record of the table of fare 

 at each dinner the custom of acknowledging in the dinner 

 register the gifts of venison, dessert and other presents 

 for the table was likewise abandoned. We may suppose 

 that the gifts did not wholly cease, but no record has been 

 preserved of them. For the first time for many years there 

 is now an entry in the dinner-register under date December 

 i8th in the following words : " Resolved that the thanks of 

 the Club be given to Lord Darnley for a very fine haunch 

 of venison. Moved by the President and seconded by Sir 

 Everard Home." One thinks of the days of Josiah Cole- 

 brooke, when the health of the donor was proposed in 

 claret, with perhaps a unanimous resolution to make him 

 an honorary member of the Club, and when the Treasurer 

 was careful to see that the wine as well as the carriage 

 and the cooking of the venison were paid for by the 

 company then present. 



A few eminent foreigners were visitors to the Club this 

 year. The great Danish physicist, Hans Christian Oersted, 

 founder of the science of electro-magnetism, was in London 



