| Description | ' Mr Pepys president in the Chair, and most of the Councell present.
Upon consideration had of the Charter by the Councell, they wer of opinion, that the Society is not limited to the munber of their Clerks, nor to time of the Choice of their Clerks, And that the choice of Clerks is to be made by the Majority of 31 at least or the members present if more than 31.
Orders agreed upon by severall Counsells, containing their opinion concerning the Qualifications necessary for a Clerk to be chosen by the Royall Society: till St Andrews day next
1. Resolved that if a Fellow of the Society be chosen to the office of Clerk, he shall before his admission to his office resign his Fellowship.
2. If any person other than a Fellow shal be chosen Clerk, he shall be incapable of being chosen Fellow, while he holdeth the office of Clerk.
3. That he shall have no other imployment.
4. That he shall constantly lodge in the Colledg, where the Society meeteth.
5. That he shall be a Single man without Children.
6. That he shall obey all orders from the President, Councell or Secretaryes.
7. That he shall be Master of the English, French, and Latine languages.
8. That he shall be able to write a fair and legible hand.
9. That he be competently seen in the Mathematicks and Experimentall Philosophy.
10. That all letters of Philosophicall correspondence shall be signed by one of the Sectretarys and not by the Clerk,
11. That the Clerk shall be accountable to the councell for the performance of his office, as it shall be from time to time appointed to him.
That his Salary for Copying, entring, and the performance of all other parts of his office, shall be after the Rate of fifty pounds per annum at the least, he being found qualified as above and performing his duty to the satisfaction of the Councell.
The duty of the Clerk
1. He shall take the minutes of the Society in a Book and not in loose papers.
2. He shall draw up the Minutes at large against the next Meeting
3. He shall enter the Minutes after they ghave been read at the Boord, into the Journall Books.
4. He shall draw up all Letters, and bring them to be signed by one of the secretaryes.
5. He shall Index the Books of the Society.
6. He shall keep a Catalogue of all Gifts to the Society
Those Orders drawn up by the Councell touching the Qualifications, and business of the Clerk, were twice read before the Society at the time of the Election, and it being Queried whether the Society might not dispense with some of the Qualifications it was Answered by the President that the Councell only gave them the result of their thoughts concerning the Person fit to serve them, but that they were still at lilberty to choose whom they pleased. ' |