SOCIETY. 



MarooiT! and others are faid to have been converted, children 

 baptized, and the civilization of the heathens, and their 

 converfion to ChriitianitVi which muft ever concur, are cf- 

 feftcd. The annual fubfcription is one guinea, and a lifc- 

 fubfcnption twenty guineas. 



Society, Nava/ Charilai/e, was eftablifhed in 1791, for 

 tlie relief of indigent orphans, widows, and children of fca- 

 olFicers, and alfo fea-officers reduced by misfortunes to indi- 

 (Tcnce. A modus has been fettled tor the fubfcription ; -viz. 

 h\ admirals 3/. 3/., vice-admirals 2/. 2s., rear-admirals 1/. is., 

 captains lox. 6(/., lieutenants 5^., phyficians 10s., furgeons 5.r., 

 mailers ^s., purfers ^s. The fum given to each applicant 

 is limited to 20/. A fimilar charity was eitablifhed at the 

 Admiralty in 1792. 



Society for the Converfion of Negroes, was inlUtuted by 

 the zeal of the late bifhop Porteus, and was chartered in 

 1795 for the converfion, inflruftion, and education of the 

 Negro flaves of the Britifh Weft India iflarids : for which 

 purpofe clergymen are employed as affiltants to the paro- 

 chial clergy there. The bifhop, highly to his honour, in- 

 dulged the confoling hope, " that the fame beneficent fpirit 

 which by degrees extinguiilied Pagan flavery, will alfo 

 gradually, and without injury to any one, relieve mankind 

 from the prellure cf this and every other fpecies of per- 

 fonal and perpetual flavery." The fubfequent jIboUtlon of 

 the Slave-trade (which fee) has verified this expeftation. 

 The funds arife from the rents of eftates vefted in the cor- 

 poration of London, under decree of the court of chancery, 

 upon the will of the honourable Robert Boyle. 



Society, Religious Tra9, began to circulate its fmall 

 ufeful trails in the year 1799; and of thefe many have 

 been tranflated into the Danifh, Portuguefe, French, and 

 Spanifh languages, and have been difperfed amongll the 

 prifoners or war, and other foreigners in this country. 

 Auxiliary focieties have been founded in feveral other coun- 

 tries. A donation of ten guineas conftitutes a governor for 

 life, and of hdlf-a-guinea an annual governor. 



Society, Endeavour, was inftituted in 1794, for pro- 

 moting the principles and duties of the eftablifhed church, 

 by forming a library of orthodox divinity, and the diftri- 

 bution of books ; the occafional relief of indigence, with 

 medical afliftance, including midwifery, and inoculation. 

 It is divided into two departments, mz. the eallern and 

 the wellern. 



Society of Schoolmajlers was founded in 1798, in order 

 to eftablifh a fund for the benefit of their widows and 

 orphans, and for relief of fchoolmaders and ufliers become 

 necelTitous through age, infirmity, or misfortune. The 

 fund confifts of joint Hock, which conftitutes a benefit 

 fociety, and the charitable fund, which is fupported by 

 contributions of the members of five guineas entrance money, 

 and one guinea annually : benefaftions arc received from any 

 other perfon, 21/. for life. The joint ftock is fhared among 

 widows and children of decayed members in certain pro- 

 portions, and this is dllnofeable property : the charitable 

 fund is employed in relieving members and their widows, 

 educating their orphans, afiiiling decayed fchoolmafters in 

 general and their widows, and helping others who become 

 neccffitous. 



Society called the Scats Corporation. See Scots Hos- 

 riTAi,. 



Society for rewarding Servants, Britifh, commenced in 

 1792, with a view of offering a reward for meriiorioui 

 fervicc, either by a commutation of their probable future 

 advantages fur a prefcnt pecuniary confidcration, or by the 

 immediate poffefiion of half the contingjiit annuity. Sub- 

 fcribers of one guinea may nominate one male or fcmule 

 9 



hired domeftic fervant, not exceeding fifty -years of age» 

 to be regiftered for fuch future rewards. Subfcribers of 

 fifteen guineas have the fame nomination. If fervants 

 have ferved any fubfcriber three years whiHl regiftered, 

 they will be entitled to 5/. per annum ; if more than three 

 years, 61., to be increafcd in proportion of 3/. for every 

 three years' faithful fervice to the fame fubfcriber during 

 the regiltry. In this manner debentures have been granted 

 to I 151 fervants. 



Society of the Stock-Exchange Fund. See Stock- 

 Exchange. 



Society of the Stranger'' s Friend was conllituted to relieve 

 diftrefs wherever it is found, and efpecially when out of 

 the reach of other afliftance, and to give fuch religious in- 

 ttruftion as may be fuitable to the perfons vifited at their 

 own habitations. For this purpofe the vifitors divide the 

 town into diftridls, and perfonally attend and relieve the 

 objedls of their compaffion. 



Society, Unitarian, was inftituted in 1791 for pro- 

 moting Chriftian knowledge and the practice of virtue, 

 by diftributing books felefted and approved by its members. 

 The annual iubfcription is one guinea, and ten guineas 

 conltitute a governor for life, who is entitled to a propor- 

 tional allowance of books. 



Society, ./American Philofophical, was eftablifhed at Phi- 

 ladelphia in the year 1769, by the union of two focieties 

 which had formerly fubfifted in that city, for promoting 

 ufeful knowledge, under the direftion of one patron, one 

 prefident, three vice-prefidents, one treafurer, four fecre- 

 taries, and three curators, who are annually chofen by ballot. 

 The ordinary meetings of this fociety are held on the firll 

 and third Fridays of every month, from Oftober to May 

 inclufive. The fociety was incorporated by charter 15th 

 March, 1780, and has publiftied feveral volumes of its 

 Tranfaftions, containing many ingenious papers on general 

 literature and the fciences, as well as refpetling thofe fub- 

 jedls that are peculiar to America. 



A fociety of a fimilar kind, under the title of the 

 " Academy of Arts and Sciences, &c." has been alfo 

 eftablifhed at Bofton. See Academy. 



A Royal Society of Sciences was inftituted at Upfal 

 about the year 1720: the meetings are monthly, and the 

 Tranfadlions are publifhed quarterly, in 410. 



There is alfo another fociety at Gottenburg, called the 

 Royal Society of Sciences and Belles Lettres. 



The Society of Natural Hiftorians at Berlin was 

 founded by Dr. Martini ; in which place there is alfo a 

 philoiophical fociety. 



The Royal Society of Gottingen was inftituted by king 

 George II. in 1751. 



In France there have been feveral inftitutions of this 

 kind for the improvement of fcience, recounted under 

 Academy ; fee alfo Institutk. 



For other inltitutiond of a fimilar nature, and their lite- 

 rary produdlions, fee Academy, Jouh.nal, and Thansac- 

 tions. 



Society, Edinburgh, Philofophical, a fociety which fuc- 

 ceeded the Medical Society, and formed upon the plan of 

 including all the different branches of natural knowledge 

 and the antiquities of Scotland. Its rile and progrefs to- 

 wards its prefcnt ftate arc as follow. 



In the year 1718, a literary fociety was eftablifhed at 

 Ediiiburgli by the learned Riiddiman and others, which, 

 in 1731, was fucceeded by anotlu-r for the improvement of 

 medical knowledge. In the year 1739, the celebrated Mac- 

 lauriii conceived the idea of enlarging the plan of this 

 fociety, by extending it to fubjeCts of philofophy and lite- 



ratiire. 



