| 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; Thomas Bell; Samuel Hunter Christie; John Frederick Daniell; Bryan Donkin; Edward Forster; Thomas Galloway; Thomas Graham; Richard Owen; Richard Phillips; Peter Mark Roget; Dr. Richard Bently Todd; the Treasurer, John William Lubbock, in the chair.
Among matters discussed or noted: minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. Mr. Daniell applied, on behalf of Mr. Newman, for 100 copies of the Report of the Physical Committee, granted. Shelves and drawers to be fixed in the room behind Council to Mr. Cubitt's estimate. Letter from George Biddell Airy, Royal Observatory, Greenwich, 3 July 1840, to John William Lubbock, full text entered into the minutes: on his conversation with Professor Forbes; a building exists at Greenwich that might be used for the purpose of meteorological observations, although the current staff would be insufficient; Airy would be willing to ally himself to the Committee on Physics, but not be subordinate to them, and he was willing to confer on the best use of an establishment, including printing the observations at Greenwich. The Treasurer reported that the Committee of Physics had noted the offer of Airy to supervise magnetical and meteorological observations at Greenwich, with three additional assistants, and instruments at £550 per annum; the President to communicate with Lord Melbourne on the offer and the Astronomer Royal to be thanked. Treasurer communicated the resolution from the same committee that Airy be added to its number. Leave absence granted to Mr. Shuckard. Leave granted to Mr. Roberton in August, books to be returned to the Library and the Library closed. George Biddell Airy's paper on polarity of light to form the Bakerian Lecture for 1840.
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