408 Learned Societies. 
San Francisco), also addressed the meeting. The follow-— 
ing gentlemen were elected Fellows of the Society :— 
Colonel Shafto Adair, Mr. G. H. Wilson Brown, Mr. E. 
Butler, Rev. P,-Butler, Dr. S: Crane, Mr. C. J. Eley 
Langlands, and Don E. G. de Marthin. Monsignor Fran- 
cesco Nardi, of Rome, was elected honorary corresponding 
member. 
SOCIETY OF ARTS.—On the 6th ultimo, a meeting con- 
vened by the Council of the Society of Arts was held for 
the purpose of discussing London cabs and cab fares. Mr. 
Cole said that our London cabs were the meanest vehicles 
of the kind in the world. He did not concur in the opinion 
expressed by Sir Richard Mayne in one of his reports, that 
there should be no 6d. fare and that the lowest charge 
should be a shilling, his view being that the fare ought to 
be fixed by the mutual consent of the cab proprietor and 
the public; in fact, there should be free trade amongst 
cabs; and as a remedy for the prevention of extortion he 
considered that check-tables, which would indicate the 
distance travelled, and which were successfully adopted at 
Sheffield, might be brought into requisition. The reason 
why open vehicles for the use of ladies were not provided 
in London was, that the Government stepped in and arbi- 
trarily imposed a charge which prevented capitalists from 
supplying that kind of carriage, which they would do if 
there were no restriction. In conclusion, he considered the 
best way to deal with the subject was to move for a select 
parliamentary committee of inquiry. Mr. Alderman Law- 
rence, M.P., said the remedy for the inconvenience and 
dissatisfaction which existed in reference to the cabs and 
hackney carriages of the metropolis could be effected by 
the Government removing the existing oppressive taxation 
imposed upon cabs. He believed the fares charged at 
present were somewhat low, but if the tax were removed 
we could have a cab at 6d.,and a better one at Is. Sir 
Richard Mayne was sure that the bill which would be in- 
troduced in Parliament respecting the regulation of traffic 
would deal with cabs. 
THE No NAME LITERARY CLUB.—During the past 
month this club has held its usnal weekly meetings, when 
the following Original Papers and Readings were given :— 
Original Papers —“ On the English Language. Part II. 
Mr. C. Worte—*“On Boys. ” Mr. J. Mapple—Readings : 
“The Reve; his Tayle” (Chaucer), Mr. A. R. Smith— 
: Edinburgh after Flodden” (Aytoun), Mr. Charles Percy. 
