| Description | Present at the Council: the President Lord Brouncker; Lord Bishop of Sarum; Lord Berkly; Sir John Lowther; Sir Christopher Wren; Sir John Hoskins; Mr Daniel Colwall; Mr Hill; Mr Creed; Mr Henry Oldenburg
The Secretary read out a letter written to him on 1 October 1676 from Amsterdam by a Merchant called Elias Sandra junior, and asked to be communicated to the Royal Society. It conatined an offer made by the merchant of discovering to the Society such places where great plenty of 'Ambregeis' is to be found, which discovery he would make upon certain conditions and articles accompanying this offer.
There was a debate and the Council resolved the following answer be returned;
' That the Articles appearing to the Council to be such as required personal conferences between the parties contracting for the better understanding of one anothers minds, this Council would treat with him if he thought fitt to come over. And further that they were of Opinion, in case they could agree with him in the rest, that should not differ from him as to his demanded third, nor the import of the first and 8 Article, provided first, That when he hath discovered the thing, the same be not found a thing already knowne, and then that the places for finding the proposed plenty of Ambergris be not already Subject to some jurisdiciton or other, of either the English or Dutch East India Company, or any other that might justly oppose or hinder the execution of this Dissein.'
Ordered that number 130 of the 'Philosophical Transactions' consisting of three sheets to be printed by the Printer of the Royal Society. |