| 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: Edward Frankland; John Peter Gassiot; William Robert Grove; Philip Hardwick; Leonard Horner; James Prescott Joule; William Hallowes Miller; Richard Owen; John Percy; General Edward Sabine; William Sharpey; Archibald Smith; George Gabriel Stokes; Charles Wheatstone; the President, John Wrottesley, 2nd Baron Wrottesley, in the chair..
Among matters discussed or noted: minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. Report of the Government Grant Committee in the form of minutes of the last meeting, full text entered into the minutes: list of applications received, with recommendations of awards, following discussion; the report adopted and the grants confirmed. The President was requested to communicate with H.M. Minster for Foreign Affairs that the Royal Society had awarded a grant to Robert Mallet, for investigations into the Naples earthquake: and that he should be furnished with such credentials and documents that might be of assistance. Report from the conference of Officers of the Royal, Linnean and Chemical Societies, full text entered into the minutes: on room use in Burlington House by other academies. Letter from Major-General Cameron requesting the use of the Great Hall and Ante Room for examinations for commissions into the Army, granted, following Dr. Sharpey's communication with the President. Letter from Lord Shelburne, Foreign Office, 19 December 1857, to the Secretary of the Royal Society, full text entered into the minutes: the Government are anxious to take advantage of the opportunity afforded by Dr. Livingstone's expedition in Africa, and request the advice of the Royal Society; on receiving this, a committee was formed to report on the matter to Council. Report of the Committee on Dr. Livingstone's Expedition, full text entered into the minutes: on details of the expedition planning, following communication with Dr. David Livingstone, with appendices [not present] on natural history by Richard Owen and Joseph Dalton Hooker, and on magnetic observations. Report of the Library Committee, recommending that a Catalogue of Philosophical Literature should commence with a manuscruipt catalogue of the Society's own holdings of journal literature; the report to be taken under consideration. Letter from Sir Charles Nicholson requesting that Royal Society journals be granted to the Library of the University of Sydney, the request acceded to. Archdeacon Tattam requested to withdraw from the Royal Society: the Archdeacon to be informed that upon paying subscriptions now due, he would be allowed to withdraw. Letter from Henry Reeve of Few and Company, regarding the Handley Estate. A letter was read from Dr. Robert Lee, 12 December 1857. Mr. Gassiot was appointed to deliver the Bakerian Lecture. Resolved that the two figures of Mr. Lister's paper on inflammation should be printed in colour. Letter from Mr. Goldstucker respecting the Sanskrit manuscripts, referred to the Library Committee. Consideration of the report of the Treasurer was postponed. Dr. Bence Jones applied for five years' arrears of Philosophical Transactions, granted. List of bills for payment, for brushes, fenders, and for other expenses. |