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2. At Council Meetings three shall be a quorum; the decision 
of the majority shall be considered as the decision of the 
meeting, and the Chairman shall have a casting vote in case of 
equality. 
3. Minutes of the proceedings shall be taken by one of the 
Secretaries, or, in case of his absence, by some other member 
present, whom the Chairman may appoint ; which minutes 
shall afterwards be entered in a minute-book kept for that 
purpose, and read at next meeting, when, if found correct, 
they shall be signed by the Chairman. 
§ VI. Bye-Laws (Papers). 
1. Papers presented to be read before the Society shall, when 
read, be considered as the property of the Society, unless there 
shall have been any previous engagement with its author to the 
contrary ; and the Council may cause the same to be published 
in any way and at any time they may think proper after having 
been read. If a Paper is not read, it shall be returned to the 
author ; and if a Paper is not published within a reasonable time 
after having been read, the author shall be entitled himself to 
publish it, and he may borrow it for that purpose. 
2. When a Paper is sent to the Society for the purpose of 
being read, it shall be laid before the Council, who may refer 
it to one of their own body, or to some other member or 
associate of the Society whom they shall select, for his opinion 
as to the character of the Paper and its fitness or otherwise for 
being read before the Society, which he shall state as briefly 
as may be, in writing, along with the grounds of his opinion. 
Should such opinion be adverse to the Paper and against its 
being read before the Society, then it shall be referred to some 
other referee, who is unaware of the opinion already pro- 
nounced upon the Paper, in order that he may state his 
opinion upon it in like manner. Should this second opinion 
be also adverse to the Paper, the Council shall then consult 
and decide whether the Paper shall be rejected or read ; and, 
if rejected, the Paper shall be returned to the author with an 
intimation of the purport of the adverse opinions which have 
been given with respect to it ; but the names of the referees 
are not to be communicated to him, unless with their consent, 
or by order of the Council. All such references and com- 
munications are to be regarded as confidential, except in so 
far as the Council may please to dircet otherwise. 
