t iii  3 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
THE  Committee  appointed  by  the  Royal  Society  to  direft  the  pub- 
lication of  the  Philofophical  Tranfadions,  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  former  Pranfadions , that  the  printing  of  them  was 
always,  from  time  to  time,  the  fmgle  a£t  of  the  refpe&ive  Secretaries,  till 
the  Forty-feventh  Volume : the  Society,  as  a body,  never  interefling  them- 
felves  any  further  in  their  publication,  than  by  occafionally  recommending 
the  revival  of  them  to  fome  of  their  Secretaries,  when,  from  the  particular 
circumflances  of  their  affairs,  the  Tranfadions  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  knowledge,  and  benefit  of 
mankind,  the  great  ends  of  their  firfl  inflitution  by  the  Ruyal  Charters, 
and  which  they  have  ever  fmee  fteadily  purfued. 
But  the  Society  being  of  late  years  greatly  inlarged,  and  their  com- 
munications more  numerous,  it  was  thought  advifeable,  that  a Committee 
of  their  members  fhould  be  appointed  to  reconfider  the  papers. read  be- 
fore them,  and  feleft  out  of  them  fuch,  as  they  fhould  judge  moil  pro- 
per for  publication  in  the  future  Tranfadions  ; which  was  accordingly 
done  upon  the  26th  of  March  1752.  And  the  grounds  of  their  choice 
are,  and  will  continue  to  be,  the  importance  and  fingularity  of  the  fub- 
jects,  or  the  advantageous  manner  of  treating  them  ; without  pretending 
to  anfwer  for  the  certainty  of  the  fa&s,  or  propriety  of  the  reafonings, 
contained  in  the  feveral  papers  fo  publifhed,  which  mull  (till  reft  on  the 
credit  or  judgment  of  their  refpe£Hve  authors. 
A 2 
It 
