| Description | Present at the Council: The President, William, Lord Brouncker; Mr Howard; Mr Aerskine; Sir Paul Neile; Sir Anthony Morgan; Dr John Wilkins; Dr Clark; Mr Daniel Colwall; Mr Hoskyns; Dr Ball; Mr Henry Oldenburg
Mr Charles Howard was particularly asked to be present at this meeting, so hecould provide an update of the state of Chelsey-College. Some reparation required, to prevent the roof falling. Council resolved they would defer any reparation until they had legal possession of the house, and that no constant indweller should be agreed with for the present.
Agreed that when the draft for subscribing contributions to carry on the work of the Society is brought in by Sir Anthony Morgan and Mr Hoskyns it shall then be offered to all able and willing persons both without and within the Society.
Voted there shall be no Preface to the Bill to be subscribed for the prurpose previously mentined; and that it shall be a single obligatory Bill, as follows; ' If AB acknowlege to owe the R. Society the Summe of ---------------- to be paid etc '
It was suggested tht the ground of the Ward-robe is yet undisposed of, and that it was probable his Majesty's being moved by some of the Council, would not be unwilling to bestow it upon the Royal Society for the raising of a College upoon it, the President was asked by teh Council to take an opportunity to break this matter to the King, which he promised to do.
Moved that it might be considered whether the obligation, subscribed by the Fellows of the Society, as it now is, does not have a legal vallidity; Sir Anthony Morgan was therefore asked to consider it accordingly, and the Secretary was ordered to have a Copy made of the said obligation, and of the statutes relating to it.
Dr Wilkins confirmed he had spoken to Dr Lower about the Curatorship, that he found him very willing to serve the Society to the best of his power, but that for some business he was at present engaged in, he could not now immediately undertake the office.
It was mentioned that a security might be provided for such inventions or notions as ingenious persons might have, and desire to secure 'from usurpation or from being excluded from having a share in them, if they should be lighted on by others; it was thought good that if anything of that Nature should be brought in and desired to be lodged with the Society, that , if the authors were not of their body, they should be obliged to show it first to the Presidnet, and that then it should be sealed up, both by the small seal of the Society, and by the seal of the proposer; that they should not be obliged to show it first to the President but only to declare unto him, the general heads of the matter, and then it shold be sealed up, as mentioned before'.
The library presented by Henry Howard of Norfolk was discussed, and especially the donor's desire to have it returned to his family in case of failure of the Society. It was suggested by Mr Hoskyns ' that those books, that remain unchanged and those that are changed for others be delivered in two distinct catalogues, and that such catalogues being finished, whosoever shall have the custody of them and of the Library for the R. Society, be ordered to be delivered up to Mr Howard or his assigns, in case the Society be at any time dissolved.'
Moved by Sir Anthony Morgan that Dr Aglonby might have his admisison money and weekly payments dispensed with. The Council agreed to remit his admission money altogether, and the weekly payments for one year after his admission.
Mr Ball asked that the Council would give him a discharge concerning the magnetick apparatus which he had the care and custody of, part of it being delivered to Mr Hook, and twenty pounds in money to Mr Colwall for the rest.
The Council licenced Number 29 of the Philosophical Transactions
Council referred to another meeting of the Council the proposal of entering the letters that concern the Society into their Letter-book, namely that all such letters as are written by the Society, or by any Member of the Society upon a Philosophical account, and the answers to them, read before the Society (except those that shall be excepted upon their being read) are to be filed up, or put into a book, and thence to be transcribed into a Letter -book apppoointed for that purpose.
The Committe of the Council of the Royal Society for auditing the Treasurer's Accounts presented a report to the Council dated 11 November 1667 which balanced. |