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(4) The Royal Society of South Australia. 

 (a) How we became " Royal." 



At the close of the seventies it became apparent to the 

 Society that its investigations would receive added weight 

 and dignity if it could include in the title a warrant of Royal 

 favour. In other words, it appeared that there was something 

 in a name. 



The occasion was an unusual one, and it was not known 

 to the Council what procedure should be adopted to solicit the 

 patronage of its Sovereign. There were at that time in 

 Australia three Societies that rejoiced in the title of "Royal" ; 

 one in New South Wales, one in Victoria, and in Tasmania 

 one that had been founded many years previously by Sir John 

 Franklin. Mr. Walter Rutt, who was then, as now, Secre- 

 tary of the Society, accordingly wrote to the Secretary of the 

 latter body, inquiring as to the steps which had been taken 

 when they had solicited a similar privilege. Dr. Agnew 

 replied, that it had been necessary to make a search through 

 the records in the Colonial Secretary's Office, and subsequently 

 through His Excellency's despatches, for the purpose of 

 obtaining specific information on this subject. Even then his 

 search had been unsuccessful, but lie had learned from Mr, 

 Hull, a corresponding member of the Philosophical Society, 

 and in 1843 a confidential member on the staff of Sir Eardley 

 Wilmot, that on the occasion in question a despatch was sent 

 to the Secretary of State, conveying a request that Her 

 Majesty would be graciously pleased to become a Patron of 

 the Tasmanian Society. At the same time, the claims of the 

 Society to this mark of favour were duly set forth. A favour- 

 able reply had eventully been received from the Home Govern- 

 ment, and it had since enjoyed the title of ''Royal." A 

 subsequent letter from Dr. Agnew conveyed the information 

 that the despatch from Lord Stanley, Secretary for the 

 Colonies, had been found. It stated that Her Majesty had 

 graciously consented to become the Patroness of the Tas- 

 manian Society, and had acceded to the request that it should 

 be permitted to use the title "Royal." 



Acting on this precedent, the Council of the Adelaide 

 Philosophical Society addressed the following request to Sir 

 William Jervois, then Governor of the colony: — 



"The Adelaide Philosophical Society, knowing that there 

 is a wide and comparatively unexplored field for scientific 

 research in this extensive Province of South Australia, is 

 appealing to all who take an interest in such matters, to 

 forward to the Society the results of their observations and 

 investigations, in order that they may be collated and placed 



