654 
president’s address. 
According to Lady Smith’s account (Vol. I., p. 344), Dr. 
Smith’s discourse on the “ Rise and Progress of Natural 
History” was delivered “at his own house in Great Marl- 
borough Street, on the 8th of April, 1788,” and “ he was at the 
same time appointed President.” Dr. Smith had left Chelsea 
early in 1788. 6 
Noticing that these accounts of the early meetings of the 
Linnean Society did not agree, I consulted Dr. Jackson. He 
kindly sent me (in litt.) the following statement : — “ You have 
pointed out an error, which I will have set right wdien printing 
a new issue of the tract ; the statement was derived from Dr. 
Carruthers’s account given in our ‘ Proceedings,’ 1887-8, p. 36, 
and is so drawn as to mislead the reader. The facts derived 
from the minutes are as follows : — The first meeting ‘ of the 
Fellows’ was held at the Marlborough Coffee House, 26th 
February, 1788, seven persons being present, and the President 
(Smith), Treasurer, and Secretary were chosen. After ordering 
the books required, the meeting adjourned to March 18th, ‘at this 
place.’ At that meeting, ‘ resolved that the first General 
Meeting be postponed to the 8th of April, and then to meet at 
12, Great Marlborough Street. The first General Meeting was 
accordingly held on that date, 15 being present, and ‘ the 
President read part of a Dissertation on the History of the 
Science of Natural History, which is to be finished at the next 
General Meeting.’ Second General Meeting, 6th May, 1788 — 
‘ The President finished reading the paper he began at the last 
meeting.’ Nineteen were present. 
“You will notice the distinction between the ‘Fellows’ 
Meetings and the ‘ General ’ Meetings ; very confusing without 
explanation. 
Fellows only met 26th February, 1788. 
,, „ „ 18th March, 1788. 
The Society being thus constituted : — - 
General Meeting (1st) 8th April, 1788. 
,, ,, (2nd) 6th May, 1788. 
Fortified by the citations given from our early minute books, 
you can appreciate the statement in our first volume of Trans- 
