| 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: William Grylls Adams; Thomas Lauder Brunton; Heinrich Debus; John Evans (Treasurer); Michael Foster; Francis Galton; Olaus Henrici; Edwin Ray Lankester; Joseph Lister; Joseph Prestwich; Osborne Reynolds; Henry Enfield Roscoe; Osbert Salvin; George Gabriel Stokes; Edward James Stone; Alexander William Williamson; the President, Thomas Henry Huxley, in the chair.
Among matters discussed or noted: minutes of the last meeting read and approved. Deaths of Edward Backhouse Eastwick, the Reverend Henry Stebbing and Cromwell Fleetwood Varley. The Foreign Secretary announced the death of Joseph Antoine Ferdinand Plateau and noted that there were now six vacancies for Foreign Membership. The Treasurer reported the receipt of £2,000 of the Government Grant and £500 for the Eclipse Expedition: he had paid the £150 voted for borings in Egypt. Publication of the Chellenger Report volumes 6 and 7. Report of the Meteorological Council had been circulated and was ordered to be forwarded to Government. The award of Royal Society Medals was considered and adjourned. List of Members of Council retiring at the Anniversary Meeting. Letters from the War Office relating to Nile Delta borings were read. Letters from the Governor of Mauritius were read, enclosing a memorandum on the tortoises of Aldabra: a copy of the latter had been forwarded to Dr. Gunther and published in Nature. Letters from the Science and Art Department relating to a proposed Exhibition at Cagliari. Leave granted for copying letters from the archive and for reprinting of a paper. Letter from Colonel Parnell offering to visit Ischia and report on the recent earthquake there: the reply to be that the Society had no intention of promoting an inquiry at present. Offer from Dr. Wilson of the Palazzo Piccolini, Florence, to present portraits of Leibnitz and Viviani accepted with thanks. Letter from Mr. Allison requesting that the Royal Society examine his method for navigating balloons, declined. A further application from Mr. Le Paige for copies of letters by Slusius, granted. Letter from Dr. Aitchison and Roland Trimen returning thanks for election as Fellows of the Royal Society. Letter from the Parochial School at Mablethorpe requesting the renewal of the annual gift from the Royal Society: a donation of 2 guineas granted. |