| Description | Present at the meeting: the President in the chair; Dr Bradley; Mr Burrow; Lord Charles Cavendish; Mr Davall; Mr Fauquier; Mr Mead; Dr Nesbitt; Mr sotheby; Mr White; Dr Birch and Dr Morton, Secretaries
Minutes of last meeting read
Mr White reported on his meeting with Lord Anson regarding the provision of stores on board ship, and the need for the Admiralty to write to the Commissioner of the Dock at Portsmouth to put the instruments safely on board the Sea Horse. Copy of letter from the Admiralty of 15 November 1760 listed in the minutes.
Mr Mead reported on his meeting at the Admiralty and seeing the orders for Captain Smith regarding the care concerning the instruments and the request to treat the observers very well.
Mr Dixon attending, reported ' he had Delivered all the Instruments for the observations at Bencoolen [Bengkulu, Sumatra, Indonesia] (the Clock excepted) to the Portsmouth Carrier, who had set forward with them that morning: that his purpose was to set out himself tomorrow in a post Chaise, which would bring him to Portsmouth in time to receive the Instruments on Wednesday: and he would wreite back to the Society an account of his proceedings there, of Mr Mason's arrival, and other occurrences. '
Mr Ellicot attending reported on the arrangements of the Clock's journey to Portsmouth [Listed in detail]
Ordered after a ballot that;
1. £20 be paid to each of the observers to Bencoolen [Bengkulu, Sumatra, Indonesia] for stores, and Mr Mead to write to Mr Cowley Collector of the Customs at Portsmouth regarding paying the money and expences of carriage of the Instruments
2. Application be made to the East India Company ' to write to the Governor of Bencoolen [Bengkulu, Sumatra, Indonesia] to advance to Mr Charles Mason and Mr Jeremiah Dixon such sums of money as they shall have occasion for, not exceeding the sum of one hundred pounds to each of them, taking their draughts upon the Treasurer of the Society for the sums so advanced, which draughts, not exceeding the aforesaid respective sums the Society undertakes to pay. '
3. Copy of last order signed by two Secretaries delivered to Mr Davall to send to Christopher Burrow Esq who will make the application to the Court of Directors of the East India Company
Proposed and balloted successfully that the Copley medal be given to Mr Benjamin Wilson FRS for ' his curious Experiments delivered to the Society since Saint Andrew's Day last, upon the subject of Electricity' Dr Birch directed to haveMr Wilson's name engraved on the medal
President to enquire from the Master of the Mint how to have twelve more gold medals struck for the use fo the Society
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