A OVE Ro 1 SRM oR ON a 
ETE Committee appointed by the Royal Society to dire& the pub- 
lication of the Philofophical Tranfadtious, take this opportunity to 
acquaint the Public, that it fully appears, as well from the council-books 
and journals of the Society, as from repeated declarations, which have 
been made in feveral former Tran/actions, that the printing of them was 
always, from time to time, the-fingle act of the refpective Secretaries, till 
the Forty-feventh Volume: the Society, as.a body, never interefting them- 
felves any further intheir-publication, than by occafionally recommending 
the revival of them to fome of their Secretaries, when, from the particular 
circumftances- of their affairs, the Tranfactions had happened for any 
leneth of time to be intermitted. And this feems principally to have 
‘been done with a view to fatisfy.the. Public, that their ufual meetings 
were then continued for. the improvement of knowledge, and benefit of 
mankind, the great ends of their firft inftitution by the Rdyal Charters, 
and which they have ever fince fteadily purfued. 
But the Society being of late years greatly inlarged, and their com- 
munications more numerous, it was thought advifable, that a Committee 
ef their members fhould be appointed to reconfider the papers read be-- 
fore them, and feleé out of them fuch, as they fhould judge moft ‘pro- 
per for publication in-the future Lranfactions ; which was accordingly 
done upon the 26th of March 1752. And the grounds of their choice - 
are, and will continue to be, the importance and fingularity of the fub-- 
jects, or the advantageous manner-of treating them; without pretending 
to anfwer for the certainty of the facts, or propriety of the reafonings, 
contained in the feveral papers fo publifhed, which muft {till reft on the. 
eredit or judement of their refpective authors. 
A.2. le: 
