1892.] of Number of Fellows elected into the Society. 465 



many were privileged, but this has no importance for my present 

 object. From 1860 onwards the distinction between t ie three classes, 

 those elected before 1848, Privileged Fellows, and Ordinary Fellows, 

 is exhibited. 



At the end of 1890, the total number of Fellows, excluding the 

 Royal, Honorary, and Foreign Classes, was 463 ; of whom 26 were 

 Fellows elected before 1848 ; 36 were Privileged Fellows elected since 

 1848 ; and 401 Ordinary Fellows elected since 1848. 



Hence it appears that the reduction of number of Fellows, of the 

 three classes last referred to, has been 305, and as the number of 

 admissions of the Privileged class has not been very materially 

 affected by the changes in the rules relating to them, it follows that 

 virtually the whole of this large reduction is a consequence of the 

 restriction, to 15, of the number of Ordinary Fellows elected 

 yearly. 



As the ages of the 768 Fellows who constituted the bulk of the 

 Society in 1848 are not known, and as the conditions of election 

 before that year differed materially from what they have been since, 

 no very useful conclusions can be drawn from the rate of their dimi- 

 nution since 1848. 



Assuming, however, that the number of Privileged Fellows in 1848 

 was, as is probable, about 50, there would remain 718 Ordinary 

 Fellows, of whom in 43 years 692 lapsed, or at an average yearly 

 rate of 2*24 per cent., that is rather more than 16 a year. This rate, 

 as I shall show subsequently, does not differ greatly from that which 

 has prevailed among the Ordinary Fellows elected since 1818, and it 

 may therefore be presumed that the average age of the Fellows in that 

 year did not differ greatly from the average age since. 



Table II gives, as far as available data admit, the ages at the time 

 of election of all Fellows elected since 1848 ; and shows the number 

 of years they severally survived, the average age at election, the 

 number and average age of those who were alive in 1891, and the 

 greatest and least ages of Fellows' elected in each year. 



From this table it will be seen that there has been a gradual small 

 increase in the age at election; the average for the first 10 years 

 having been 42"2; for the second 10 years, 43'0; for the third 10 

 years, 44*8 ; and for the last 13 years, 45*2. 



The accuracy of these conclusions may be somewhat affected by 

 the greater number of unknown ages in the earlier years, the age 

 when unknown, having been taken at the average of the group of 

 years in which the election took place. 



The least age at which any Fellow has been elected is 24, one such 

 case being recorded. The average minimum at any election is 

 slightly under 30, and the average maximum is rather over 63, one 

 election at an age of 87 is recorded, and several above 70. 



