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had in high esteem. At Liverpool, Bristol, York, Bath, Leeds, 
Exeter, and other places, large sums of money have been expended 
in buildings for the meetings, museums, libraries, lecture-rooms of 
similar societies, and were called forth to meet the growing taste for 
scientific study, and the vast increase of persons in all professions 
and ranks of life who delighted in natural history, physical science, 
and the study of history, of literature, and philosophy. We now 
find the operations of our learned societies becoming associated with 
our social system itself. 
The history of the Boyal Society of London becomes an important 
work, and is, in fact, a history of science itself during the period 
when the Society was in action.* 
In reference to the history of scientific institutions, we can 
scarcely omit to notice the endeavours that have been made to 
draw the members closer together in social as well as scientific rela- 
tions — such as dinners, holding conversazione meetings, and other 
friendly unions. I hope it will not be considered unbecoming in this 
address to mark how completely the scientific association is adapting 
itself to the social system, and becoming part and parcel of common 
life. It is from this circumstance, I apprehend, that a certain part of 
the history of the Boyal Society of London has lately excited so much 
attention. An account of it has been printed for private circulation 
by Admiral Smyth, to whom the necessary documents connected 
with it were intrusted. I mean its Dining Club. The annals of 
its proceedings commence in 1743 ; but Admiral Smyth, and others, 
zealous in all branches of archaeology, are persuaded that the club 
dates much further back. The club was at first called the “ Boyal 
Philosophers ; ” and although the archives of the Boyal Society are 
unfortunately deficient on many points of its proceedings, they are 
very minute in their account of the dinners of the Boyal Philosophers. 
Thus we have the satisfaction of knowing the precise dinner to which 
the Boyal Philosophers sat down, 27th October 1743 — a dinner, let 
it be remembered, eaten at one o’clock, and a pretty solid one : — 
Turkey boiled and oysters. 
Calves head hashed. 
Fowls and bacon. 
Chine of mutton. 
Apple-pie. 
Two dishes of herring. 
Tongue and udder. 
Leg of pork and peas. 
Sirloin of beef. 
Plum-pudding. 
* History of the Koyal Society of London, by Birch. 
