﻿1874.] 
  

  

  President's 
  Address. 
  

  

  65 
  

  

  the 
  President 
  and 
  nine 
  Members 
  of 
  Council 
  were 
  to 
  choose 
  the 
  best, 
  

   and 
  then 
  to 
  have 
  made 
  a 
  silver 
  cup 
  of 
  .£30 
  value, 
  to 
  be 
  presented 
  to 
  the 
  

   successful 
  essayist 
  on 
  the 
  last 
  Thursday 
  in 
  December. 
  In 
  case 
  of 
  failure 
  

   the 
  dividends 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  paid 
  to 
  the 
  Treasurer 
  of 
  the 
  Foundling 
  Hos- 
  

   pital. 
  

  

  Lady 
  Wintringham 
  died 
  in 
  1805 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  Royal 
  Society 
  heard 
  nothing 
  

   of 
  the 
  bequest 
  until 
  1839, 
  when 
  steps 
  were 
  taken 
  to 
  obtain 
  possession 
  of 
  

   the 
  fund. 
  The 
  Foundling 
  Hospital 
  put 
  forward 
  their 
  claim 
  ; 
  legal 
  

   proceedings 
  were 
  taken, 
  costs 
  being 
  paid 
  out 
  of 
  accumulated 
  dividends 
  ; 
  

   and 
  in 
  1842 
  the 
  Royal 
  Society 
  were 
  put 
  in 
  possession 
  of 
  the 
  <£1200 
  stock. 
  

   Owing 
  to 
  the 
  essential 
  difficulties 
  of 
  carrying 
  out 
  the 
  conditions 
  of 
  the 
  

   testator's 
  will, 
  the 
  dividends 
  have 
  ever 
  since 
  been 
  paid 
  to 
  the 
  Foundling 
  

   Hospital. 
  

  

  The 
  Council, 
  desirous 
  that 
  those 
  difficulties 
  should 
  be 
  overcome, 
  have 
  

   at 
  different 
  times 
  appointed 
  a 
  Committee 
  to 
  examine 
  the 
  question 
  and 
  

   suggest 
  if 
  possible 
  a 
  solution 
  ; 
  but 
  no 
  satisfactory 
  conclusion 
  has 
  yet 
  

   been 
  arrived 
  at. 
  

  

  The 
  Handley 
  Bequest. 
  — 
  Mr. 
  Edwin 
  Handley, 
  of 
  Old 
  Bracknell, 
  Berks, 
  

   was 
  a 
  country 
  gentleman, 
  and 
  the 
  possessor 
  of 
  a 
  considerable 
  landed 
  and 
  

   personal 
  estate 
  in 
  Berkshire 
  and 
  Middlesex. 
  He 
  died 
  in 
  1843, 
  having 
  

   bequeathed 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  his 
  property, 
  after 
  the 
  decease 
  of 
  his 
  two 
  sisters, 
  

   to 
  the 
  Royal 
  Society. 
  

  

  The 
  last 
  of 
  these 
  ladies 
  died 
  in 
  1872, 
  since 
  when 
  certain 
  legal 
  for- 
  

   malities 
  have 
  been 
  complied 
  with, 
  and 
  the 
  claims 
  of 
  the 
  Royal 
  Society 
  

   to 
  the 
  landed 
  estates 
  under 
  the 
  Mortmain 
  Act 
  have 
  been 
  brought 
  before 
  

   the 
  Court. 
  In 
  February 
  last 
  the 
  Master 
  of 
  the 
  Rolls 
  decided 
  that 
  "the 
  

   gifts 
  to 
  the 
  Royal 
  Society, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  they 
  relate 
  to 
  pure 
  personalty, 
  are 
  

   good 
  charitable 
  gifts, 
  but 
  otherwise 
  void." 
  The 
  personalty 
  as 
  set 
  forth 
  

   in 
  the 
  " 
  Bill 
  of 
  Complaint," 
  comprises 
  £6033 
  7s. 
  5d. 
  Three-per-Cent. 
  

   Consols, 
  .£1904 
  17s. 
  2d. 
  Reduced, 
  and 
  £41 
  18s. 
  5d. 
  Bank-of-England 
  

   Stock. 
  

  

  By 
  the 
  terms 
  of 
  the 
  "Will 
  the 
  Society 
  is 
  to 
  preserve 
  the 
  property 
  

   intact 
  in 
  value, 
  as 
  a 
  Fund 
  Principal, 
  the 
  income 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  applied 
  

   to 
  the 
  rewarding 
  inventions 
  in 
  art, 
  discoveries 
  in 
  science, 
  physical 
  or 
  

   metaphysical 
  (" 
  which 
  last 
  and 
  highest 
  branch 
  of 
  science," 
  to 
  quote 
  the 
  

   testator's 
  words, 
  "has 
  been 
  of 
  late 
  most 
  injuriously 
  neglected 
  in 
  this 
  

   country 
  "), 
  or 
  for 
  the 
  assistance 
  of 
  fit 
  persons 
  in 
  the 
  prosecution 
  of 
  in- 
  

   ventions 
  and 
  discoveries. 
  The 
  rewards 
  or 
  assistance 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  granted 
  

   annually, 
  or 
  after 
  longer 
  periods, 
  to 
  British 
  subjects 
  or 
  foreigners, 
  

   according 
  to 
  the 
  impartial 
  decision 
  of 
  the 
  President 
  and 
  Council. 
  

  

  The 
  Dircks 
  Bequest. 
  — 
  Mr. 
  Henry 
  Dircks, 
  of 
  Liverpool, 
  and 
  latterly 
  of 
  

   London, 
  who 
  died 
  in 
  1872, 
  has 
  bequeathed 
  the 
  residue 
  of 
  his 
  property 
  

   (about 
  £4000), 
  after 
  payment 
  of 
  debts 
  and 
  charges, 
  to 
  the 
  Royal 
  Society, 
  

   Royal 
  Society 
  of 
  Literature, 
  Chemical 
  Society, 
  and 
  Royal 
  Society 
  of 
  

   Edinburgh, 
  in 
  equal 
  shares 
  and 
  proportions, 
  in 
  furtherance 
  of 
  their 
  

  

  vol. 
  lira. 
  r 
  

  

  