| Description | List those present at the Council; Lord Brouncker, Dr Wilkins, Mr Aerskine [Erskine], Dr Goddard, Mr Balle, Mr Hill, Mr Palmer, Mr Oldenberg
The Committee for Laws presented the draft of a Statute for permitting those that are not of the Society, to be present at their meetings; and the members of the Council present approved this. The procedure was; 'When the President takes the chair, the rest of the Fellows shall place themselves orderly and conveniently for the business of the meeting, And those persons, that are not of the Society, shall withdraw; excepting that it shall be free, for any of his Majesty's subjects of England, Scotland or Ireland, having the title and place of a Baron, or any of his Majesty's Privy Council of any of his three kingdoms, and for any foreigner of eminent repute, with the allowance of the President, to stay for that time: and that it shall be free for any other person upon leave obtained of the President and Fellows present, or the major part of them, to stay for that time; and the name of every person permitted to stay, of any person that moved for him, and the allowance shall be entered in the Journal Book.
It was considered whether in the Statute for Subscribing the Obligation, which passed once on 17 June the words 'Or to be admitted', were not superfluous, and the Members present having judged them to be so, debated whether those words should br struck out ot the said Statute, already passed without repealing them.; or whether they, or their whole Law, should be first repeated. It was thought fit to refer it to a full Council.
They also considered a Statute for electing Noblemen, and agreed as follows;
'Every one of His Majesty's subjects of England, Scotland or Ireland, having the title and place; and every one of his Majesty's Privy-Council in any of the said Kingdoms upon his desire to be a Fellow of the Society, shall be propounded and put to the vote for Election, on the same day (if there be present, a competent number for making elections) if otherwise, it shall be free for every such person, to be present at any meeting of the Society until there be such a number present.
Ordered, that the President take care, that there be always a blank Deputation remaining with the Council, in case of his or his Deputy's absence. |