2 THE ROYAL SOCIETY 



logical Register of the Fellows has been thoroughly revised and 

 for the first time made complete. 



The facsimile reproduction of the Signatures has been success- 

 fully accomplished by the University Press, Oxford, and has been 

 published in a folio volume with the title, * The Signatures in the 

 First Journal-book and the Charter-book of the Royal Society.' 

 This interesting volume contains the autographs of the Fellows 

 from the first founders down to the present day, and is probably 

 the most extensive existing collection of the signatures of dis- 

 tinguished leaders in science during the last two centuries and 

 a half. Besides the pages of the Charter-book, the volume 

 also comprises facsimiles of three pages of the first Journal- 

 book of the Society, on which, under date 5th December 1660, 

 are inscribed the autograph signatures of the original company 

 of men of science and their friends and well-wishers who resolved 

 to form themselves into an organized Society, and who, some 

 nineteen months later, were incorporated by the King as ' The 

 Royal Society '. One of the chief difficulties in the preparation of 

 this facsimile volume arose in the decipherment of many of the 

 signatures and the compilation of an alphabetical List which 

 should give accurately the dates of admission into the Society, 

 with the page of the Charter-book on which each signature would 

 be found. But in the end every signature was identified, and the 

 volume together with the ' Record ' were both ready for dis- 

 tribution by the 13th of July, on which day the President and 

 Treasurer had the honour of presenting a copy of each volume to 

 His Majesty King George V, who was graciously pleased to 

 accept them and to express his interest in the forthcoming 

 Celebration. Copies of these volumes were subsequently sent to 

 the Universities, Academies, and other Institutions that were 

 represented at the Anniversary. 



The invitations to be present in London for the purpose of 

 attending the Society's Celebration began to be issued in January 

 1912. Each Foreign Member and a number of eminent foreign 

 men of science who were not Members were specially invited, 

 and the Universities, Academies, and other learned Institutions in 

 the United Kingdom, in the British Dominions beyond the Sea, 

 and in all the civilized countries of the world, were each asked to 



