a considerable edition for his own benefit, and which they 

 might have saved by printing the work themselves.' 



" To show the illegal nature of the agreement entered 

 into with Mr. Petrie, Sir W. Betham observes, ' that the 

 Council have no power to expend more than £20, without 

 the consent of the Academy at large.' But the Council have 

 power to contract Habilities to any amount that may be ne- 

 cessary for bringing out the volumes of the Transactions. 

 This is part of their office. They are not even obliged to bring 

 such engagements under the notice of the Academy, until a 

 grant of money is wanted to discharge them; but it so hap- 

 pens, that the agreement made with Mr. Petrie was laid be- 

 fore the Academy, along with other matters, at a stated 

 meeting on the 16th of March, 1841, in a report which was 

 then adopted, and ordered to be entered on the minutes. In 

 this case no grant of money has been called for, as Mr. Petrie's 

 part of the engagement is not yet fulfilled ; nor has any sum, 

 large or small, been expended in connexion with the Essay 

 on the Round Towers, except what had been paid for engra- 

 vings previously to the aforesaid agreement ; which sum, by 

 the terms of the agreement, is to be taken into account in the 

 final settlement. 



" Sir W. Betham further states, that ' it is contrary to the 

 laws of the Academy, to return the manuscripts even of 

 unsuccessful candidates for prizes and medals, while they 

 claim as property all Essays read at their ordinary meetings 

 and ordered to be printed.' It is true that it is part of a law 

 of the Academy, that ' all communications shall be deemed 

 the property of the Academy' (Chap. VII. Sect. 5, of the 

 By-laws) ; but it is part of the same law, ' that the author 

 of any communication may, by petition to Council, reclaim 

 such communication, which shall be restored to him on said 

 petition being granted.' And this law applies to every 

 sort of communication. 



