| 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: George James Allman; Sir Benjamin Collins Brodie; George Busk; Robert Bellamy Clifton; Thomas Archer Hirst; Joseph Dalton Hooker; Thomas Henry Huxley; William Hallowes Miller; Joseph Prestwich; Rear-Admiral George Henry Richards; Philip Lutley Sclater; William Sharpey; Francis Sibson; George Gabriel Stokes; Major-General Richard Strachey; Isaac Todhunter; Sir Charles Wheatstone; the Treasurer and Vice-President, William Spottiswoode, in the chair.
Among matters discussed or noted: minutes of the last meeting read and approved. Deaths of Philippe Shaw Bradreth, the Reverend George Fisher, Robert MacAndrew and Philippe Edouard Poulletier de Verneuil. Resolved that there were now six vacancies of Foreign Membership to fill. Report of the Government Grant Committee in the form of minutes of the meeting of 12 June 1873, full text entered into the minutes: list of applicants for grants postponed from the last meeting was discussed, with a list of successful grantees; with regard to the application from the Kew Committee, it was decided that the expense of completing pendulum observations in connection with the Great Trigonometrical Survey should be met by the Indian Government. Report of the Library Committee, full text entered into the minutes: to aid in the removal of the Library into the Society's new house, the new catalogue of books should be completed as soon as possible and the Library should be closed from 1 August until further notice; with a list of individuals and institutions to be granted publications; the report accepted and the Library Committee authorised to sell superfluous works from the collection of miscellaneous literature. Nominations for the list of candidates for Foreign Membership, to be put to the ballot at a future meeting of Council. August Wilhelm Hofmann added to the list of suggestions for award of the Copley Medal, and candidates for all medals were proposed and seconded; the wording of the procedure of Council for the adjudication of medals was amended. R.L.J. Ellery was granted an extension of time for admission to the Fellowship. A proof and revision of the paper on the temperature at which germs are killed, by Dr. Bastian, with correspondence, were laid before Council: Council saw no reason to interfere with the actions taken by Officers in the matter. Applications to copy papers from the archives and the return of drawings to Dr. Pettigrew were granted. General Strachey and the Earl of Rosse were appointed members of the Meteorological Committee, following the resignation of William Spottiswoode. Dr. Hooker, on behalf of Mr. Sclater, gave notice of a resolution to be proposed at a future meeting, on sending naturalists with three of the astronomical expeditions to the island of Rodriguez, Kerguelen's Land and the Sandwich Islands. Leave of absence granted to the Assistant Secretary. The surveyor's report on the Acton Estate had not yet been received and the Treasurer was authorised to grant a new lease to the existing tenant, with advice from Mr. Clifton. The Treasurer was authorised to pay bills for lithography and coal during the recess. List of bills for payment, for lithography, binding books and advertising. |