333 



mended for your choice. The operation of our rule, in point 

 of fact, precludes the election of Faraday on the present occa- 

 sion, as it requires that all persons elected in the department 

 of Science should be foreigners. Not so, however, in the 

 section of Polite Literature. We are there free to elect natives 

 of these islands, and we have to fill one vacancy which, as Irish- 

 men, interested in literature, we deeply deplore. Of the two 

 vacancies which have occurred in that department during the 

 past year, one was caused by the death of our own great poet, 

 Thomas Moore — as we had, not long before, occasion to la- 

 ment the loss of the great British poet, Wordsworth. But 

 when we came to consider how the places in the section of 

 Polite Literature were filled, we found that several of the Mem- 

 bers lately elected were Continental scholars, distinguished as 

 philologists ; and it was, therefore, our desire, if possible, to 

 elect, in the present instance, those who represented other 

 branches of Polite Literature, Many names, the claims of all 

 of which would be recognised by the Meeting, were brought 

 before the Council, but ultimately, after the most careful con- 

 sideration, those which appear on the summons paper, viz., 

 William H. Prescott and Thomas B. Macaulay, were selected. 

 As a Member of the Committee of Polite Literature, perhaps 

 it would be appropriate for me to say a few words on behalf 

 of the two latter candidates, if indeed anything I could urge 

 would recommend them to the Academy ; and it may appear 

 fitting that I should leave to the Committee of Science the 

 honour of speaking on behalf of the candidates selected in their 

 department, namely, Messrs. Elie de Beaumont, M. V. Beg- 

 nault, and Augustin-Louis Cauchy , all of them Frenchmen, who 

 have distinguished themselves in various branches of science 

 But, speaking in my capacity of Secretary to the Council, I 

 may be allowed to mention briefly the claims of the several 

 candidates now offered to your approbation. The first-named 

 gentleman, M. Elie de Beaumont, was elected many years ago 

 a Member of the Institute of France in the department of 

 Geology. In the year 1844 he was raised to the rank of Vice- 



