ROYAL MEDALS 
HER MAJESTY QUEEN VICTORIA, in restoring the Foundation 
of the Royal Medals, has been graciously pleased to approve of the 
following regulations for the award of them : 
That the Royal Medals be given for such papers only as have been presented to 
the Royal Society, and inserted in their Transactions. 
That the triennial Cycle of subjects be the same as that hitherto in operation : viz. 
1. Astronomy; Physiology, including the Natural History of Organized Beings. 
2. Physics ; Geology or Mineralogy. 
3. Mathematics ; Chemistry. 
That, in case no paper, coming within these stipulations, should be considered 
deserving of the Royal Medal, in any given year, the Council have the power of 
awarding such Medal to the author of any other paper on either of the several sub- 
jects forming the Cycle, that may have been presented to the Society and inserted 
in their Transactions ; preference being given to the subjects of the year immediately 
preceding : the award being, in such case, subject to the approbation of Her Majesty. 
The Council propose to give one of the Royal Medals in the year 1840 for the 
most important unpublished paper in Physics, communicated to the Royal Society 
for insertion in their Transactions after the termination of the Session in June 183/, 
and prior to the termination of the Session in June 1840. 
The Council propose also to give one of the Royal Medals in the year 1840 for the 
most important unpublished paper in Geology or Mineralogy, communicated to the 
