76 Anniversary Meeting. [Nov. 30, 



respect of the Society's funds or income," and that " there is no want 

 of means for providing illustrations to papers communicated to us for 

 publication." 



I have felt it to be my duty to you to enter with some detail into Dr. 

 Williams's earnest appeal to me. There remains to inform you of the 

 constitution of the Committee, and of the result of their labours. 



Most fortunately the services of five Fellows were obtainable for this 

 Committee, who were, of any in the Society, perhaps the most competent 

 to aid its deliberations — namely, Drs. G-uy and Farr and Mr. Merrifield 

 as statisticians, and Mr. Justice Grove and our late Secretary, Dr. 

 Sharpey, as having taken a very prominent part in the discussion which 

 in 1847 terminated in the adoption by the Society of that mode of election 

 which has been followed ever since, and has raised the Society to its 

 present position. It is well perhaps that, in a matter so deeply affecting 

 the welfare of the Society, I should name the other members; they 

 were Dr. Williams himself, and Mr. John Evans, together with the 

 President and Officers, making a Committee of twelve in all. The fol- 

 lowing is the Report which they have made to the Council : — 



" Report of the Election Statutes Committee. — The Committee appointed 

 to consider whether it is desirable or not to make any alterations in the 

 Statutes relating to the Election of Fellows, have given to the subject the 

 careful consideration demanded by the importance of these Statutes, not 

 only to the Royal Society, but to the general body of workers in science 

 in the kingdom. 



" The status of the Royal Society and the widespread recognition of the 

 value of its Fellowship render it highly desirable that, while on the one 

 hand no one shall be admitted to the Society who is not worthy of the 

 honour, on the other, no one who is worthy shall be excluded from the 

 Society, nor even suffer undue delay in entering it. 



" At the outset of their deliberations, the Committee unanimously agreed 

 to recommend the maintenance of the principle of the existing Statutes ; 

 that is to say, to leave in the hands of the Council, as at present, the 

 duty of selecting the Candidates to be presented to the Society for election. 



" They further agreed, nemine contradicente, that the number so selected 

 annually ought to be limited. 



" The only questions that remained therefore were, ought the number 

 thus limited to be less than at present, greater than at present, or to 

 remain as it is ? And, practically, the choice was limited to the last two 

 alternatives. 



"As a preliminary to the discussion of these alternatives, the Committee 

 thought it desirable to ascertain what may reasonably be expected to be 

 the strength of the Society if the present limitation remains in force. 



" The answers of the Fellows of the Society to a circular addressed to 

 them by the Committee, together with other statistical evidence as to the 





