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: Neil Arnott; George Busk; Edward Frankland; John Peter Gassiot; William Robert Grove; Philip Hardwick; Joseph Dalton Hooker; Leonard Horner; 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. The Secretary stated that he had written to H.M. Office Works about the lawn, which was now in partial order: it is contemplated that a building for the use of the Patent Law Commission will be constructed on a portion of the lawn, so that it is inexpedient to incur further costs; the kitchen doorway and other parts of woodwork in Burlington House had been repaired. During recess, two applications had been received from the Council of Military Education for the use of rooms, which had been acceded to. Correspondence with Roderick Impey Murchison on the Royal Geographical Society's use of rooms, for the approaching session only. The President reported that he had been requested to allow the Newton telescope to be exhibited at the inauguration of the statue at Grantham, accompanied by a representative of the Royal Society: Mr. White had taken the instrument to Grantham and had returned it safely. The Report of the Joint Committee of the Royal Society and the British Association on Magnetic and Meteorological Observations was received from Sir John Herschel, and ordered to be printed in the Proceedings. Letter from John Wrottesley, 2nd Baron Wrottesley, and from Richard Owen, n.d., to Lord Derby, full text entered into the minutes: transmitting the resolutions of the joint report on magnetic and meteorological observations and offering to explain further, if that was required. Letter from Dr. Falconer, transmitting a report of the committee of the Geological Society supervising the excavation of Brixham bone cavern, with an account of expenses; this to be transmitted to the Government Grant Committee. Resolved that the water barometer at Somerset House be removed and deposited at Burlington House, and a committee appointed for the purpose. Report from Mr. Weld on the state of the Society's property at Mablethorpe. The Secretary reported that the cleaning and regilding of pictures was complete and they were now hung in the Great Hall and Lower Library: Mr. Weld was requested to draw up a catalogue of the pictures with a view to it to be printed. Letter from the Secretary of the East India Company, transmitting a register of meteorological observations at stations in India 1853-1857, and a collections of tables by Major-General Boileau. The I.R. Istituto di Scienze Lettere ed Arte at Venice was added to the list of institutions entitled to receive the Royal Society's journals, and the Royal Dublin Academy placed on the list to receive Proceedings. Issues of Proceedings were granted to the Societe Vaudoise des Sciences Naturelles. David Forbes applied for an extension of time for admission to the Fellowship, owing to his being on a scientific expedition in Chile, granted. Applications were received from the Entomological Society and from Professor Henfrey for arrears of Philosophical Transactions, granted. The merits of several candidates for Royal Society Medals were discussed. |