21G 



nected with the original grant and distribution of those Medal?, a^ 

 well as causes leading to their temporary discontinuance, with which 

 the Fellows may not be generally acquainted, I trust that I may be 

 allowed to enter into some details respecting them. 



His late Majesty King George the Fourth announced, towards 

 the close of the year 1825, through the medium of the Secretary 

 of State for the Home Department (Sir Robert Peel), his gra- 

 cious intention of founding two Gold Medals, of the value of Fifty 

 Guineas each, to be annually awarded as honorary premiums, un- 

 der the direction of the President and Council of the Royal So- 

 ciety, in such a manner as should, by the excitement of com- 

 petition among men of science, seem best calculated to promote 

 the objects for which the Royal Society was originally instituted. 

 This munificent gift of the Patron of the Royal Society was of 

 course accepted by the President and Council with every expres- 

 sion of gratitude for so valuable an addition to their means of pro- 

 moting the interests of science ; and it was resolved that, in con- 

 formity with His Majesty's Commands, the Royal Medals should be 

 adjudged for the most important discoveries or series of investiga- 

 tions completed and made known to the Royal Society in the year 

 preceding the day of their award ; that their presentation should 

 not be limited to British subjects ; and that His Majesty's effigy, if 

 such should be the Sovereign's pleasure, should form the obverse of 

 the Medals ; and that two Medals from the same die should be struck 

 upon each foundation, one of gold and the other of silver. 



Upon proceeding to the distribution of the Medals, it was found 

 that the limitation of time which these Resolutions fixed was of such 

 a nature as to interfere most materially with the proper observance 

 of the object proposed to be secured by their foundation ; and the 

 period was therefore, with His Majesty's sanction, extended to five 

 years : in accordance with this arrangement the Medals continued 

 to be awarded until the year 1830, inclusive, when the demise of 

 His late Majesty took place, and in which year I had the honour of 

 being elected to fill the Chair of the Royal Society. 



Mr. Chantrey, to whom, in conjunction with Sir Thomas Law- 

 rence, was intrusted the selection of the subject for the Medal, fur- 

 nished the cast for the medallion of the head of His late Majesty, 

 which was to form the obverse of it, while Sir Thomas undertook 

 to compose the design for the reverse. Unfortunately, that distin- 

 guished artist, either from over-delicacy or over-anxiety to produce 

 a work of art worthy of the object for which it was intended, or 

 from that spirit of procrastination which was unhappily too common 

 with him, delayed its execution from year to year, and died without 

 leaving behind him even a sketch of his ideas respecting it, though 

 the character of such a design as would be at once classical and ap- 

 propriate to the purpose, was the subject of frequent conversation, 

 and even of favourite speculation with him. From these and other 

 causes, to which it is not necessary for me now to advert, it arose, 

 that, at the demise of His late Majesty, although the adjudication of 

 ten Medals had been formally made and announced from the Chair 



