74 Literary and Philosophical Society. 



CHAPTER VI. 



MEMOIRS OF THE SOCIETY. 



The first volume of the Society's memoirs was published 

 in 1785, and was dedicated by permission * To the King,' 

 * with peculiar gratitude for his gracious patronage of the 

 first fruits of their Institution ; ' no other mention is made 

 of royal acknowledgments of the Society. 



This permission was obtained through the good offices 

 of Mr. Pitt, to whom the Society sent appropriate thanks, 

 as the minutes show. The volumes of the Society have 

 not contained an account of the proceedings until of later 

 years. This portion of the work of a society is often of 

 great interest, and ought not to be neglected. 



It is proposed to look over the volumes, especially 

 the earlier ones, and to extract whatever may seem 

 characteristic of the men and the time — partly showing the 

 best or most interesting papers. This may be mixed up 

 with some biographical details ; an exact separation of 

 these departments is not essential, or rather is to be 

 avoided. 



The early papers w-ere copied by the secretary into 

 volumes, and these are not all printed. The council, which 

 was then called the * committee of papers,' made its choice. 



Not much has yet been found concerning Mr. James 



