Foundation and Early History. 11 



and Fellows, as is also the reception and admission of members. But, 

 otherwise, " the making of laws, statutes, and ordinances, and the 

 transaction of all matters relating to management of the Society and 

 its affairs " is entrusted to the President and Council alone. Hence 

 by the Charter, the Bye Laws, or Statutes, as they are called, by 

 which the Society is governed, are made and changed by the Presi- 

 dent and Council alone, the Fellows at large having no voice in the 

 matter. At p. 100 will be found a Note on the Statutes, which gives 

 a brief history of the successive changes in the internal administra- 

 tion by the President and Council from the foundation of the Society 

 to recent times ; it is unnecessary to repeat these here. 



Attention, however, may be called to the fact that, as is stated in 

 that Note, the printing of the ' Philosophical Transactions,' which 

 was begun in 1665, the first number appearing on Monday, March 6, 

 1664-5, was at first "the single act of the respective Secretaries" 

 (being, in fact, in the first instance a speculation on the part of 

 Renry Oldenburg), though a certain supervision was exercised by the 

 President and Council. This system was continued through 46 

 volumes consisting of 496 numbers. With the 47th volume, published 

 in 1753 (the publication in numbers was thenceforward discontinued) 

 the publication was placed by new Statutes directly in the hands of 

 the President and Council, a Committee of Papers being established. 

 In addition to the ' Philosophical Transactions,' the Society, having 

 powers by their Charter to appoint a printer and engraver, published 

 or sanctioned the publication of separate works on Natural Know- 

 ledge. Among the works which received their imprimatur are the 

 following : 



Hooke, Robert, ' Micrographia : or some Physiological Descrip- 

 tions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses.' Folio. 

 London 1665. 



Graunt, John, ' Natural and political Observations . . . made 

 upon the Bills of Mortality, with reference to the Government, 

 Religion, Trade, Growth, Air, Diseases, and the several changes 

 of the City [of London].' (3rd edition, enlarged.) Svo. 

 London 1665. 

 Sprat, Thomas, ' The History of the Royal Society of London for 



the improving of Natural Knowledge.' 4to. London 1667. 

 Malpighi, Marcello, ' Dissertatio epistolica de Bombyce ; Societati 



Regia3 Londini dicata.' 4to. Londini 1669. 



Holder, William, ' Elements of Speech ; with an Appendix, con- 

 cerning persons Deaf and Dumb.' Svo. London 1669. 

 Evelyn, John, ' Sylva, or a Discourse of Forest Trees.' Folio. 



London 1670. 



Horrocks, Jeremiah, ' Opera posthunia.' 4to. Londini 1673. 

 Malpighi, Marcello, ' Auatome Plantartim,' Folio. Londini 1675. 



