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'Tuesday, November 30th, 1852. (Stated Meeting.) 



THOMAS ROMNEY ROBINSON, D. D., President, 

 in the Chair. 



On the recommendation of the Council, the following were 

 elected Honorary Members of the Academy : — 



In the Department of Science. 



Elie de Beaumont. 

 M. V. Regnault. 

 Augustin-Louis Cauchy. 



In the Department of Polite Literature. 



William H. Prescott. 



Right Hon. Thomas B. Macaulay. 



The Secretary of Council made the following statement of 

 the grounds on which the recommendation was made : — 



" Although I occupy the place of the Secretary of the 

 Academy, who is unavoidably absent to-night, it is in the 

 performance of my proper function, as Secretary to the Coun- 

 cil, that I undertake on this occasion to lay before the Aca- 

 demy some information respecting the individuals whom the 

 Council has recommended to your notice as worthy of being 

 elected Honorary Members of our body. During the last 

 President's tenure of office a very important change was made 

 in the regulations respecting the admission of Honorary Mem- 

 bers. In those past times, which are sometimes improperly 

 called ' good old times,' it was our custom to elect as Ho- 

 norary Members persons who happened to be recommended 

 by two or three influential Members of the Academy ; and 

 these persons were admitted to what ought to be a high ho- 

 nour without due consideration of their pretensions to it. In 

 consequence of this practice very serious evils arose ; the dig- 



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