advertisement. 
T H n Committee appointed by the Royal Society 
to u red; the publication of the PhiloJ'ophical 
Transactions, take this opportunity to acquaint the 
public, that it fully appears, as well from the council- 
books and journals of the Society, as from repeated 
declarations, which have been made in feveral for- 
mer Tranfafiions , that the printing of them was al- 
ways, from time to time, the fingle aft of the re- 
fpedive Secretaries, till the Forty-feventh Volume. 
And this information was thought the more neceflary, 
not only as it has been the common opinion, that they 
were publifhed by the authority, and under the di- 
rection, of the Society itfelfj but alfo, becaufe feveral 
authors, both at home and abroad, have in their writ- 
ings called them the Tranf actions of the Royal Society . 
Wheieas in truth the Society, as a body, never did 
intt; elf themfelves any further in their publication, 
than by occafionally recommending the revival of 
them to fome of their fecretaries, when, from the par- 
ticular circumftances of their affairs, the TnwfaClions 
had happened for any length of time to be intermitted. 
And this feems principally to have been done with a 
view to fatisfy the public, that their ufual meetings 
weie then continued for the improvement of know- 
ledge, ana benefit of mankind, the great ends of their 
fiiif infhtution by the Royal Charters, and which they 
have ever fince Readily purfued. 
But the Society being of late years greatly inlarged, 
and their communications more numerous, it *was 
though, t advifeable, that a Committee of their Mem- 
beio ihould be appointed to reconfider the papers read 
be. ore them, and feledt out of them fuch, as they 
Vol. LII. a O-inn Irl 
