THE EDINBURGH SOCIETY. 29 



Society's discussions, it is noted that ' David Hume and 

 Adam Smith never opened their lips.' Wedderburn was 

 Chairman of the first meeting of the Society. 



Our concern here is, however, less with the Select So- 

 ciety than with the other Society to which it gave birth. 

 At a meeting of the Select Society, held on the 13th March 

 1755, within ten months after its foundation, there was 

 adopted a set of ' resolutions for the encouragement of Arts, 

 Sciences, Manufactures, and Agriculture.' The resolutions 

 are of a very formal character, and begin by laying down 

 first principles, such as ' that arts and manufactures may, 

 by the proper distribution of premiums, be promoted is a 

 certain truth, founded on reason, and confirmed by experi- 

 ence.' It is then recorded that the Select Society had re- 

 mitted the question to a committee, who brought up a report 

 which the Society adopted. To provide the contemplated 

 premiums, the Society resolved that ' the method of raising 

 the funds should be by a voluntary contribution ' — a resolu- 

 tion, we shall see, they had afterwards reason to repent. 

 A list of objects, for which premiums might be offered, was 

 adopted at the meeting. Prizes for the ' finer arts ' were 

 recommended to be honorary, that is, in medals ; and for 

 ' the more useful arts ' to be lucrative, that is, in money. 



It was resolved that the ' execution of the plans ' 

 sketched out in the resolutions should be 'committed to 

 nine members of the Society, to be elected annually.' It 

 was further resolved that ' there should also be nine extra- 

 ordinary managers annually chosen.' Another resolution 

 was that, ' for the particular business of this scheme, there 

 should be a meeting of the Society on the first Monday of 

 every month, except the three months of the harvest vaca- 

 tion, and two extraordinary meetings on the first Wednes- 

 day of July and the first Wednesday of December. At 

 these meetings the managers should lay their proceedings 

 before the Society.' Another resolution was that 'every 

 person who should subscribe two guineas or more for the 

 purposes of this undertaking should be a member of the 

 monthly meetings for the year in which he contributes.' 

 The final resolution of the series was that ' the Society 



