124 Record of the Royal Society. 



THE COPLEY MEDAL. 



to no medal having been awarded in some years, ifc now consists of 

 403 9s. 8d. New 2| per cent. Consols. The Eakerian Lecture 

 originated in 1775, through a bequest of Mr. Henry Baker, F.R.S., 

 of 100, for an oration or discourse, to be spoken or read yearly by 

 some one of the Fellows of the Society, on such part of natural history 

 or experimental philosophy, at such time and in snch manner as the 

 President and Council of the Society for the time being shall please 

 to order and appoint. In case no lecture be given, there is a pain of 

 forfeiture attached to the bequest. The payment to the lecturer has 

 for many years been a fixed sum of 4. 



The Copley Medal, which has long been regarded as the highest 

 scientific distinction that the Royal Society can bestow, originated in 

 a legacy of 100 from Sir Godfrey Copley, Bart., F.R.S., received in 

 1709. The testator directed that this sum should be laid out in 

 experiments or otherwise for the benefit of the Society, as they shall 

 direct and appoint. For many years the interest of the fund was 

 paid to Dr. Desaguliers, Curator to the Society,* for various experi- 

 ments made before them, but in 1736 Martin Folkes, who subse- 

 quently became President of the Society, proposed to render Sir 

 Godfrey Copley's donation more beneficial than at that time it was. 

 His suggestion was that instead of the annual experiment, " a medal 

 or other honorary prize should be bestowed on the person whose 

 experiment should be best approved, by which means he apprehended 

 a laudable emulation might be excited among men of genius to try 

 their invention, who, in all probability, may never be moved for the 

 sake of lucre." Eventually, in 1736, it was resolved that a medal of 

 the value of 5, to bear the arms of the Society, should be awarded 

 to the author of the most important scientific discovery or contribu- 

 tion to science by experiment or otherwise. The weight of the 

 medal was fixed at 1 oz. 2 dwts. of fine gold. In 1831 it was resolved 



* See ante, p. 17. 



