ADVERTISEMENT. 
H E Committee appointed by the Royal Society 
to direct the publication of the Philojophical 
c Tranfaftions> 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 'Tranfaftion.Sy that the printing of them was al- 
ways, from time to time, the fingle a£t of the re- 
fpe&ive Secretaries, till the Forty-feventh Volume. 
And this information was thought the more neceffary, 
not only as it has been the common opinion, that they 
were published by the authority, and under the di- 
rection, of the Society itfelf ; but alfo, becaufe feveral 
authors, both at home and abroad, have in their writ- 
ings called them the ‘TranfaSlions oj the Royal Society . 
Whereas in truth the Society, as a body, never did 
interefl themfelves any further in their publication, 
than by occafionally recommending the revival of 
them to fome of their fecretaries, when, from the par- 
ticular circumltances of their affairs, the PranfaBioni 
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 
were then continued for the improvement of know- 
ledge, and benefit of mankind, the great ends of their 
firfl inftitution by the Royal Charters, and which they 
have ever fince fteadily purfued. 
But the Society being of late years greatly inlarged, 
and their communications more numerous, it was 
thought advifeable, that a Committee of their Mem- 
bers fhould be appointed to reconfider the papers read 
before them, and feleCt out of them fuch, as they 
a 2 
fhould 
