| Description | Printed minutes containing matters laid before Council, the Royal Society's governing body of Fellows, with records of decisions taken.
Commencing with a list of Council members present: Francis Baily; Sir John Barrow; Thomas Bell; Samuel Hunter Christie; John Frederick Daniell; Bryan Donkin; Edward Forster; Thomas Galloway; Thomas Graham; Richard Phillips; Peter Mark Roget; Major Edward Sabine; John Taylor; Robert Bently Todd; the Treasurer, John William Lubbock, in the chair.
Among matters discussed or noted: minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. New Members of Council made and subscribed to the declaration in lieu of the oath. Nomination of Vice-Presidents. Re-appointment of committees: Library Committee; Committee of Mathematics; Committee of Astronomy; Committee of Physics, including Meteorology, with name changed and a list of members; Committee of Chemistry; Committee of Mineralogy and Geology; Committee of Botany and Vegetable Physiology; Committee of Zoology and Animal Physiology; with resolutions on their administration. Letter from Henry Wheatley, St. James's Palace, 27 November 1839, to the Marquess of Northampton, full text entered into the minutes: acknowledging the receipt of a letter on the award of Royal Medals and forwarding a letter from William Wyon. Letter from William Wyon, H.M. Mint, 26 November 1839, to Sir Henry Wheatley, full text entered into the minutes: the dies for the Royal Medals are not complete and therefore the medals would not be ready for distribution on 30 November; he asks Wheatley to inform the President of the Royal Society. Letter from Charles Few, Covent Garden, 11 December 1839, to John William Lubbock, full text entered into the minutes: enclosing the receipt for £328 from Mr. Panizzi and making remarks on the arbitrator's conclusions, including on the gratuitous services of Mr. Roberton. Resolved that the £328 be refunded to Mr. Few. Letter from James L. Melvill, East India House, 22 November 1839, to the Marquess of Northampton, full text entered into the minutes: stating that the changes proposed by the Society to the locations of magnetic observatories wil be met. Letter from Mr. Shuckard recommending a re-arrangement of the Library, to be referred to the Library Committee. The Library Committee authorised to spend £100 in binding books. Resolved that candidates for the two vacancies in Foreign Membership would be considered at the next meeting. Resolved, in future awards of the Copley Medal, it would not be desirable to omit an award. The list of manuscript letters prepared by Mr. Shuckard to be printed in the same form as Halliwell's catalogue of manuscripts. |