S8 



St. James's to witness Her Majesty's signature in our Charter-Book 



as Patron of the Society. I availed myself of the occasion thus 

 presented to me to address the Queen in your name, and to assure 

 Her ^Majesty that vre felt bound by the olDligations of our Charter, 

 as well as by the recollection of our foundation, to look up to the 

 Sovereign of these realms as our Patron and protector : that we 

 most gratefully acknowledged the assurances which Her Majesty 

 had conveyed to us through Her minister the Secretary of State for 

 the Home Department, of the continuance of the same support and 

 favour as had been always accorded to us by the Sovereigns of 

 this Kingdom, and likewise the signification of Her Majesty's in- 

 tention of renewing the grant of the two 3Iedals which had been in- 

 stituted by one and confirmed by another of Her Majesty's royal 

 uncles and predecessors, accompanied by Her gracious permission 

 to propose such modification and amendments in the statutes which 

 had been provided for their distribution, as would tend most efiect- 

 ually to promote the advancement of science, and would most 

 certainly accomplish the liberal and patriotic views and intentions 

 of their Royal Founders. I further ventured to advert to the close 

 connection which exists between the caltivation of Science and 

 the Arts, and the progress and developement of the great elements 

 of the prosperity and happiness of nations, and to express my 

 earnest hope and prayer that the triumphs of the arts of peace and 

 commerce, which had so signally marked the beginning of Her 

 Majesty's reign, might be continued without intermission to its 

 distant conclusion. 



The Queen having received the Address in the most gracious 

 manner, was pleased to sign her august and royal name in our 

 Charter-Book as Patron of the Royal Society : after which the 

 officers and different members of the Council were presented by 

 me to Her ^Majesty, and had the honour of kissing Her Majesty's 

 hand. 



The alterations in the laws for the distribution of the Royal Me- 

 dals, which Her ^Majesty was graciously pleased to authorize and 

 permit, have been made by a Committee of the Council appointed 

 for that purpose, and have since received the especial sanction 

 and approbation of Her Majesty. They are directed to be given 

 hereafter to such papers, and to such papers only, as have been 

 presented to the Society, or inserted in its Transactions, within 

 three years of the date of the award ; and they are to be awarded 

 to departments of science whose order of succession is defined by a 

 cycle of three years, comprising in the first Astronomy and Physi- 

 ology, in the second Physics and Geology^ and in the third Jlcithe- 

 matics and Chemistry. And it is further added and commanded, 

 that no departure from this order of succession shall be allowed, 

 unless it shall appear that no memoir of sufficient merit to be en- 

 titled to such an honour shall have been presented to the Society 

 w^ithin the period afore-named ; in which case, and in which case 

 only, it shall be competent for the Council, with the approbation 

 of Her Majesty, to award the IMedal to one of those branches 



