C iii 3 
'-1* 
ADVERTISEMENT, 
T H E Committee appointed by the Royal Society to direft the pub- 
lication of the Philofophical Tranfaflions , 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 Tranfaflions, that the printing of them was 
always, from time to time, the (ingle act of the refpe&ive Secretaries, till 
the Forty-feventh Volume: the Society, as a Body, never intereftingthem- 
felves any further in their publication, than by occafionally recommending 
the revival of them to fome of their Secretaries, when, from the particular 
circumftances of their affairs, the 'Tranfaflions 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 firft inflitution by the Royal Charters, 
and which they have ever fince Readily purfued. 
But the Society being of late years greatly inlarged, and their com- 
munications more numerous, it was thought advifable, that a Committee 
of their members (hould be appointed to reconfider the papers read be- 
fore them, and feleft out of them fucb, as they (hould judge mod pro- 
per for publication in the future Tranfaclions ; 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* 
je<fts, or the advantageous manner of treating them ; without pretending 
to anfwer for the certainty of the fads, or propriety of the reafonings, 
contained in the feveral papers l'o publifhed, which mud (till reft on the 
credit or judgment of their refpettive authors. 
A 2 
It 
