INSTITUTION. 149 
Jams, (hall be tbe firft members and founders of the new 
eftablilhment ; and fhall each have the power of naming 
a perfon of their family, who fhall be admitted to the pri¬ 
vileges of a life-fubfcriber, or (hall have theprivilege of 
admitting'one perfon to the lectures, collections, and li¬ 
brary of reference, when attending in perfon. The fourth, 
that fucli proprietors as do not defire to belong to the 
new corporation, fhall receive the value of their fnares. 
The fifth, that a fubfcription fhall be opened (as a loan, 
for the difcharge of which means will be immediately 
Hated) for railing a fund, by which fucli proprietors 
may be paid off. The fixfh, that new members be ad¬ 
mitted by ballot, a certificate in their favour being figned 
by at leaft four members, and that they do either pay fifty 
guineas as a compofition, or four guineas annually; The 
l'eventh, that the prefent life-fubfcribers may be ballotted 
for as members, paying, if elected, twenty-five guineas as 
a compofition, or two guineas annually ; but, if they do 
not choofe to be ballotted for, that they retain their pre¬ 
fent privileges. The eighth, that the prefent annual lub- 
fcribers retain their prefent privileges ; but, if they wifh 
to become members, they, like the life-fubfcribers, muff 
take the fame Heps with refpeft to form as new members. 
The ninth, that the patrons of the library fhall retain all 
their prefent privileges for life and that the hereditary 
patrons fhall receive a compenfation for giving up their 
right of inheritance, by having the privilege of naming 
each a patron for life. 
“In the new r corporation it is propofed, that the mem¬ 
bers fhall be elected upon the fame footing as the mem¬ 
bers of the Royal Society and the Society of Antiquaries, 
having neither the power of fale nor of gift, in which cafe 
the title of Member of tbe Royal Injlitution will become ho¬ 
norary. The objects of the Inftitution will continue as 
at prefent, but enlarged and l'efined, the promotion and 
diffufion of experimental fcience and its application to 
the purpofes of life. The leCtures of the Inftitution, 
conceited with all fubjeCts of natural philofophy, che- 
miftry, and experimental fcience, will beaconflant fource 
* of intereft and information to the members. When dif- 
coveries are made in the laboratories of the Inftitution, 
conneited with the advancement of general fcience, ab- 
ftraits or notices of them fhall be publilhed in the Jour¬ 
nals, which fhall appear at leaft quarterly, and which fhall 
contain a general account of all inventions, ufeful projeits, 
or new fcientific fails, brought forward in any part of 
the world; but, as it will be greatly for the advantage of 
the eftablilhment, that it fliould be conneited with the 
Royal Society, which from the era of its foundation has 
uniformly patronized all plans for promoting and pro¬ 
mulgating natural knowledge, it is propofed that a full 
and circumftantigl detail of every advance made in fcience 
in the Royal Inftitution fhall be prefented to the Royal 
Society, to be inferted in the publications of that body, 
the ineftimable records of the progrefs of Englifli fci¬ 
ence.” 
2. The London Institution was planned at a very 
numerous and refpeCtable meeting of gentlemen, held at 
the London Tavern on the 23d of May, 1805. The plan 
was completed, and the rooms were opened to the fub- 
feribers, on the ift of January, 1806 ; and a royal charter 
was granted them in January, 1807. Similar to the Royal 
Inftitution, the original fubferibers are hereditary proprie¬ 
tors-. they can transfer their (bares, under certain regu¬ 
lations, or leave theiii by will. It is faid to be the inten¬ 
tion of the Inftitution to erett a more Ratable building 
for their own accommodation ; at prefent they occupy a 
lioufe in the Old Jewry which was formerly the refidence 
of Mr. Sharp the furgeon. It was ereCted by fir Robert 
Glayton in the year 1677. 
The chief purpofe of the London Inftitution is to pro¬ 
mote the diffufion of fcience, literature, and the arts, its 
•views at prefent being confined to three objects: viz. the 
acquisition of a valuable and extenfive library ; the diSu¬ 
fi on of ufeful knowledge by the means of ieciures and 
Vol. XI. No, 741. 
experiments; and the eftablilhment of a reading-room, 
where the foreign and domeftic journals, and other pe¬ 
riodical works, arid the heft pamphlets and new publica¬ 
tions, are provided for the ufe of the proprietors and fub¬ 
feribers. The government of this Inftitution is veiled in 
the committee of managers, confiding of the prefident, 
four vice-prefidents, twenty managers, and the fecretary. 
The proprietors, the number of whom is limited to one 
thoufand, paid feventy-five guineas for each fliare, and 
the life-fubfcribers twenty-five guineas, but life-fub¬ 
fcribers now pay thirty-five guineas. The proprietors are 
entitled to perfonal admiffion to the library, ledures, and 
reading-rooms, and to one transferable ticket, entitling 
the bearer to the fame privileges. The life-fubfcribers 
have perfonal admiffion only. 
On entering thefioufe, the large room behind the hall 
is fitted up for the purpofe of the proprietors and fub¬ 
feribers reading the Engiifti newfpapers; the room on the 
left for the Englifli monthly publications and modern 
popular books, and that on the right for the foreign jour¬ 
nals and newfpapers. The two former rooms contain z 
colledion of excellent maps by Arrowfmith. The library 
is 011 the firft floor, and contains a numerous and ex- 
tremely-well-feleded variety of fcarce and valuable claf- 
fical, hiftorical, and mifcellaneous, books. The collec¬ 
tion relating to Engiilh topography, and that relating to 
the fine arts, is very valuable. The great flair-cafe in the 
hall was painted by fir James Thornhill; the principal 
fubjed is from the ftory of Hercules and Omphale, where 
Hercules is reprefented fitting, with the diftaff and fpin- 
dle, and Omphale Handing, covered with the lion’s fkiri, 
and holding the ponderous club of Hercules in her hand. 
In the compartment on the right is Hercules, after he has 
flain the hydra, and on the landing of the flairs the rape 
of Dejanira, copied after Guido. The ceiling reprefents 
the apotheofis of Hercules. 
3. The British Institution, for promoting the Fine 
Arts in the United Kingdom, was founded June 4. 1805; 
and opened January 18, 1806. The edifice in Pall Mall 
formerly the Shakefpeare Gallery, is appropriated to the 
exhibitions of this Inftitution, and is now commonly 
called the Britifh Gallery of Pictures: the firft public ex¬ 
hibition, containing 257 articles, was opened to the pub¬ 
lic on the 17th of February, 1806. 
The object of the eftablilhment is.to facilitate by a 
public exhibition the fale of the productions of Britifti 
artifts ; to encourage the talents of young artifts, by 'pre¬ 
miums, and by the annual application of fucli funds as 
may be obtained for that purpofe; to endeavour to form 
a great and public gallery of the works of Britifh artifts, 
together with a few feleft fpecimens of the great fchools. 
The exhibition and the gallery to be exclufively confined 
to the productions of artills of, or refident in, the united 
kingdom. JHiilorical pictures and landfcapes to be the 
preferable fubjeCts of premiums and of purchafes for the 
gallery ; but other works of the above-mentioned artifts 
to be admiflible, if deemed worthy. 
The funds are derived from benefactions, from annual 
fubferiptions, from fmall fees on reception of the pictures, 
and commilfions on the fale of them. The reception.-fees 
on pictures that are exhibited, are in proportion to the 
fize of the picture, and not to its intrinfic value; and the 
commiilion on the fide is one (lulling in the pound. 
Subfcribers of one hundred guineas or upwards in one 
fum, are intitled to be ballotted for as hereditary governors ; 
and fubferibers of fifty guineas in one fum, as life-go¬ 
vernors. Subfcribers of five guineas a-year, or of fifty- 
guineas or upwards in one fum, have the right of per- 
ional admiffion to tbe exhibition and gallery, and of in¬ 
troducing two friends each day. Subfcribers of three 
guineas a-year, or of thirty guineas in o.ne fum, have per- 
fional admiffion and the right of introducing one friend 
each day. Subfcribers of one- guinea a-year, or of ten 
guineas in one fum, have perfonal admiffion to the exhi¬ 
bition and gallery. The prefident and trealurer are arj- 
Q 4 nually 
