﻿66 
  

  

  Anniversary 
  Meeting. 
  

  

  [Nov. 
  30, 
  

  

  several 
  objects. 
  As, 
  however, 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  certain 
  claims 
  to 
  the 
  

   residue 
  under 
  the 
  Bankruptcy 
  Act, 
  dating 
  from 
  1847, 
  may 
  be 
  set 
  

   up, 
  we 
  are 
  advised 
  that 
  the 
  estate 
  cannot 
  be 
  administrated 
  without 
  

   the 
  aid 
  of 
  the 
  Court 
  of 
  Chancery, 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  appealed 
  to 
  accord- 
  

   ingly. 
  

  

  The 
  Ponti 
  Will. 
  — 
  Lastly, 
  it 
  is 
  my 
  duty 
  under 
  this 
  head 
  to 
  inform 
  you 
  

   that 
  our 
  Secretary 
  has 
  received 
  a 
  communication 
  from 
  the 
  Secretary 
  of 
  

   State 
  for 
  Foreign 
  Affairs, 
  to 
  the 
  effect 
  that 
  the 
  late 
  M. 
  Grirolamo 
  Ponti, 
  

   of 
  Milan, 
  has 
  bequeathed 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  his 
  immense 
  property 
  to 
  the 
  

   "Academy 
  of 
  Science 
  of 
  London." 
  As, 
  however, 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  appear 
  

   what 
  Society 
  is 
  indicated 
  under 
  this 
  title, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  relatives 
  of 
  the 
  tes- 
  

   tator 
  intend 
  to 
  dispute 
  the 
  Will, 
  the 
  Council, 
  as 
  at 
  present 
  advised, 
  will 
  

   take 
  no 
  steps 
  in 
  the 
  matter. 
  I 
  have 
  further 
  to 
  observe 
  that 
  under 
  the 
  

   terms 
  of 
  the 
  Will, 
  the 
  Academy 
  of 
  Science 
  will, 
  if 
  it 
  accepts 
  the 
  trust, 
  be 
  

   burthened 
  with 
  annual 
  duties 
  and 
  responsibilities 
  respecting 
  the 
  distri- 
  

   bution 
  of 
  the 
  proceeds 
  which 
  would 
  be 
  altogether 
  inconsistent 
  with 
  the 
  

   position 
  and 
  purposes 
  of 
  the 
  Eoyal 
  Society. 
  

  

  The 
  Fairchild 
  Lecture. 
  — 
  This 
  Lecture 
  no 
  longer 
  appears 
  in 
  the 
  annual 
  

   financial 
  statement 
  of 
  your 
  Treasurer. 
  Though 
  an 
  obvious 
  anachronism 
  

   and 
  regarded 
  almost 
  from 
  the 
  first 
  with 
  little 
  sympathy 
  either 
  within 
  or 
  

   without 
  our 
  walls, 
  it 
  should 
  not 
  pass 
  away 
  without 
  a 
  notice 
  from 
  the 
  Chair. 
  

   In 
  February 
  1728 
  Thomas 
  Fairchild, 
  of 
  Hoxton, 
  gardener, 
  bequeathed 
  £25 
  

   to 
  be 
  placed 
  at 
  interest 
  for 
  the 
  payment 
  of 
  20s. 
  annually 
  for 
  ever 
  for 
  

   preaching 
  a 
  sermon 
  in 
  the 
  parish 
  church 
  of 
  St. 
  Leonard's 
  on 
  Tuesday 
  in 
  

   Whitsun 
  week 
  on 
  " 
  the 
  wonderful 
  works 
  of 
  God 
  in 
  the 
  creation, 
  or 
  on 
  

   the 
  certainty 
  of 
  the 
  resurrection 
  of 
  the 
  dead 
  proved 
  by 
  certain 
  changes 
  of 
  

   the 
  animal 
  and 
  vegetable 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  creation." 
  From 
  1733 
  to 
  175S 
  

   most 
  of 
  the 
  lectures 
  were 
  read 
  by 
  Archdeacon 
  Denne, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   original 
  Trustees, 
  who 
  in 
  1746 
  contributed 
  all 
  his 
  lecture-fees 
  to 
  the 
  

   fund, 
  which, 
  with 
  a 
  subscription 
  raised 
  by 
  the 
  Trustees, 
  enabled 
  them 
  

   in 
  1746 
  to 
  purchase 
  £100 
  South 
  Sea 
  stock. 
  Subsequently 
  this 
  stock 
  was 
  

   offered 
  to 
  and 
  accepted 
  by 
  the 
  Society 
  : 
  the 
  transfer 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  1767 
  ; 
  

   and 
  from 
  that 
  date 
  the 
  Lecturers 
  were 
  appointed 
  by 
  the 
  President 
  and 
  

   Council. 
  The 
  lectures 
  have 
  been 
  regularly 
  delivered, 
  but 
  of 
  late 
  years 
  

   to 
  empty 
  pews, 
  under 
  which 
  circumstances 
  the 
  Council, 
  after 
  full 
  

   deliberation, 
  unanimously 
  resolved 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  desirable 
  to 
  relieve 
  the 
  

   Society 
  from 
  the 
  Fairchild 
  Trust, 
  and 
  that 
  to 
  this 
  end 
  application 
  should 
  

   be 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  Charity 
  Commissioners. 
  The 
  regular 
  forms 
  having 
  been 
  

   gone 
  through, 
  the 
  Trust 
  was 
  transferred 
  to 
  the 
  Commissioners 
  in 
  

   November 
  last, 
  and 
  thus 
  disappears 
  from 
  our 
  balance-sheet. 
  

  

  The 
  Croonian 
  and 
  BdTcerian 
  Lectures 
  are 
  given 
  annually 
  as 
  usual 
  ; 
  and 
  

   those 
  of 
  this 
  year 
  appear 
  in 
  our 
  Proceedings. 
  These 
  do 
  not 
  diminish 
  in 
  

   interest 
  and 
  importance. 
  

  

  The 
  Davy 
  Medal. 
  — 
  The 
  Council 
  has 
  accepted 
  the 
  duty 
  of 
  annually 
  

   awarding 
  a 
  medal, 
  to 
  be 
  called 
  the 
  Davy 
  Medal, 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  

  

  