1911.] Anniversary Address by Sir A. Geikie. 



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already issued have, for some reason, not yet attracted the attention among 

 Universities and public libraries that was confidently anticipated. I have 

 therefore thought it desirable to bring this matter to notice to-day. 



On July 15 of next year the. Eoyal Society will have lived for exactly 

 two centuries and a-half. Looking back upon this long career, and 

 considering the friendly relations which the Society has for generations 

 maintained with the men of science in all quarters of the globe, the 

 President and Council have thought that the occasion will be one which 

 ought not to be passed over in silence, but which deserves to be marked in 

 some worthy way. They have accordingly decided to invite the chief 

 universities, academies, scientific societies, and other institutions in this 

 country, in our Colonial Dominions and abroad, to send delegates hither to 

 join with us in celebrating our 250th birthday. The invitations will be 

 issued next month, so as to allow ample time for the selection and the 

 arrangements of the delegates, and for our own preparations here. Our 

 patron, His Majesty the King, has been pleased to signify his appreciation of 

 the importance of our proposed celebration. Though the details of the 

 function have not yet been settled, it is thought that the first reception and 

 welcoming of our guests should be held in our own rooms, which, with their 

 portraits and other memorials of our past, will doubtless be of interest to the 

 visitors. For the banquet, at which the Fellows and their guests will dine 

 together, we hope to enjoy the use of a large hall specially lent to us for the 

 occasion. Considering the early association of the Eoyal Society with 

 Gresham College and the City, we trust that some opportunity will be 

 afforded to us of renewing that intercourse, and thus of allowing our 

 delegates to partake of the well-known hospitality of London. There will 

 doubtless be a good deal of private hospitality. Of course, every facility will 

 be arranged for our guests to see public buildings, museums, libraries, and 

 other objects of interest. At the end of the function in London, the 

 delegates may not improbably be invited to visit the Universities of Oxford 

 and Cambridge. 



As a permanent memento of the occasion, the Council has decided to 

 reproduce in facsimile the pages of the Charter-book, containing the 

 signatures of the Fellows from that of the founder, Charles II, down to 

 the present day. This interesting volume is now in course of preparation 

 at the Oxford University Press. It has also been arranged to issue a new 

 edition of the Society's ' Eecord,' in great part re-written, closely revised, and 

 brought up to date. This volume is also in progress. 



