A. Note on the History of the Statutes of the Society. 105 



Cap. XIII of the Statutes at present in force, the word " Clerk " 

 being used where "Assistant Secretary" is now used. 



Payments by Fellows. 



In order to defray the additional expenses thus incurred by the- 

 publication and gratis distribution to the Fellows of the ' Philosophi- 

 cal Transactions,' the "admission-money" is by Sec. 2 of Cap. XXI 

 raised from two guineas to five guineas. In Cap. Ill of the Statutes 

 of 1663, " Of the Payments by the Fellows to the Society," the 

 admission-money is fixed at forty shillings, and indeed, in the Edition 

 of 1752, the same sum of forty shillings is retained in this Chapter* 

 the error apparently escaping notice. The change from forty shillings 

 to forty-two shillings (two guineas) seems to have taken place at some 

 time in the interval. 



THE STATUTES FROM 1752 TO 1776. 



In 1774 and 1775, the Council were engaged in considering the 

 Statutes, and in 1776 published a new Edition, containing several 

 important changes. An interesting preface to this Edition (from 

 which a quotation is given above), explains that in spite of large 

 changes in the practices of the Society, the Statutes had been kept as 

 far as possible in their original form ; and, indeed, the Statutes of 

 1752 differ from those of 1663 chiefly in the additions described 

 above. In 1776, however, the Council determined to bring the 

 Statutes into more strict conformity with the practice of the Society, 

 and in consequence the Edition of 1776 differs widely from the two 

 earlier versions. 



Five whole chapters are omitted, viz., Y, Of Experiments, and the 

 Reports thereof; XI, Of Curators by Omce; XIII, Of the Printer to 

 the Society ; XIV, Of Operators to the Society ; XVII, Of Bene- 

 factors ; the twenty-one chapters of 1752 being thus reduced to 

 sixteen. The preface explains how the changes in the Society had 

 long rendered these Statutes unnecessary. 



The order of the several chapters is largely altered, the new 

 arrangement adopted being that which has on the whole been followed 

 in subsequent editions, and is still maintained. 



The Election of Fellows. 



The regulations for the election of Fellows remain on the 



' 1776< whole the same, save that it is precisely stated that 



twenty-one is " the competent number " for making an election, a 



majority of two-thirds being necessary, and in the Statute relating to- 



what we now call the " privileged class," the words " Foreign Prince 



