Foundation and Early History. 17 



The importance of the experiments carried out at the meetings is 

 shown by the Society early availing itself of the power granted to it 

 by the Charter of " appointing two or more curators of experiments," 

 and appointing to this office Robert Hooke, who had been the 

 assistant to Boyle, admitting him at the same time as a Fellow of 

 the Society. 



He was elected Curator to the Society on January 11, 1664-65, 

 " for perpetuity, with a salary of 30 a year, pro tempore," apart- 

 ments being assigned to him for residence. He held the appoint- 

 ment concurrently with the secretaryship, to which he was elected in 

 1677. 



In 1684 Papin was chosen joint Curator with Hooke, and con- 

 tinued so until 1687, when he became Professor at Marburg. Both 

 Hooke and Papin were very active in providing experiments to be 

 shown at the meetings. 



There appear to have been additional Curators for special depart- 

 ments, besides the general Curatorship of Robert Hooke. Thus, in 

 November, 1667, Dr. Lomer was appointed " Curator in Anatomical 

 Experiments." In April, 1672, Dr. Grew was appointed "to be a 

 Curator to the Royal Society for the Anatomy of Plants for a year, 

 upon subscriptions amounting to 50, to be made by such members 

 of the Society as should be willing to contribute thereto," and in 

 December of that year the Council promised to " recommend him to 

 the Society, to continue him another year, if the subscribers would 

 please to continue their contributions." Whether he was actually 

 continued does not appear. It will also be noticed that in the account 

 of the meeting of September 10, 1662, given above, Mr. Croone is 

 named as the Curator of a special series of experiments. 



On February 27, 1683-84, "Mr. Hally was desired to bring in 

 experiments at the meetings of the Society in the manner of a 

 Curator, and he should be considered for it as others had been. He 

 was desired to proceed first upon magnetism, which he promised to 

 doe." 



On May 27, 1685, Mr. Molt was " imployed in making the chymicai 

 operations," and in 1707 Dr. Douglas and Mr. Hawksbee were simi- 

 larly employed to prepare experiments, and were paid for so doing, 

 but do not appear to have borne the title of Curator. Dr. Desaguliers, 

 however, seems to have borne the title. He was elected a Fellow on 

 July 15, 1714, and was excused his fees, on account of his usefulness 

 in the Curatorship. 



Some of the experiments were instituted at the instigation of 

 King Charles II ; and in the early days the Society seems often to 

 have prepared experiments at its meeting, hoping, but in many 

 instances in vain, that the King would do them the honour to 

 witness them. 



C 



