The visitors cannot act unless three are assembled; and they meet in March, June, September, and December ; but other special meetings of them may be conven ed : they are to elect from their own bo dy a secretary, who is to make minutes of their proceedings, but his office is en tirely honorary.
The number of proprietors is limited at present to 100U: after the charter was obtained, the sum to be demanded of such is 100 guineas ; and the method ob served in supply ing the vacancies hither to has been, by vesting that power in the temporary committee of managers, who deliberately acid to the list persons whose merit and abilities are likely to prove ad vantageous to the institution ; their quali fication, however, is hut seventy-five gui neas. A candidate for this honour must be proposed by a manager at the month ly meeting of that body ; the name is suspended in the room for one month, when a ballot takes place, and a majority of two-thirds is required in favour of the admission : after he has thus become a proprietor, he is entitled to his certificate, the printed catalogue, other papers of the institution, and tickets of admission, free of any further expense.
The property of the institution is ex clusively seated in the proprietors, who, in their collective state, are enabled to dispose of it; consequently no sale, mort A.age, or any kind or manner of involv ing its interests, can possibly occur, unless by consent of the whole. In return for this, they, and the subscri. hers and honorary members, have the common right of admission to the lec tures, library, and reading rooms, &c. &c. every day, and at all hours, from eight o'clock in the morning till eleven at night, with the usual exceptions of Sundays, holidays, and Saturdays, when the doors are closed at three o'clock in the after noon ; the proprietors have, besides, one transferable ticket each, which admits to the places already enumerated. A pro prietor, who may be desirous of transfer ring his right in the institution, must in form the committee of managers of the name and residence of the intended pur chaser in writing, who is ballotted for at their next meeting, unless the transfer should be to the possessor's son, who is admitted without that ceremony ; if the person should be rejected, another may be proposed ; and if he also should be dis approved of, the proprietor wishing to sell may claim from the funds of the in stitution suck sum as may then be fixed in the bye-laws as the qualification of a proprietor. Upon the decease of a pro.
prietor, his executors may proceed, with some little variation, in the same manner prescribed for the sale of a proprietorship.
Persons of rank and superior qualifica tions, both natives and foreigners, may be elected honorary members ; but two ne gatives will exclude them upon the bal lot. The rights of life and annual sub scribers necessarily extend no further than to the use of the rooms and library, nor can they he admitted such without the ceremony of proposing and electing. Subscribers to the library, or to particular courses of lectures, are admitted upon terms fixed by the managers, who also admit ladies in the same way, but to the lectures only.
A meeting of the proprietors was held in October, 18J5. when it was resolved, that the slim of 40,000/. should as speedi ly as possible be invested in the funds, in order that a permanent basis might be founded to secure the success of the in stitution ; other sums were at the same time directed to be placed in floating public securities, to be disposed of when the produce should be wanted. The rents, revenues, and annual income, to be applied for rent, taxes, salaries, repairs, &c. &c. and in purchasing foreign and do mestic journals, periodical and other new works, for the use of the reading room : the surplus beyond these purposes was directed by the meeting to be used for augmenting the library and the philoso phical apparatus.
We shall conclude our account of this excellent institution in the words of the rules for the use of the library. " No person shall take down any of the books in the library ; hut a note or card, contain ing the name of the person applying, and the title of the book, must be given to the librarian or attendant, who shall supply him with the book required. No person shall take away any book belonging to the library." A manuscript catalogue is kept for the subscribers in the room ; but a printed one is hereafter to be prepared and delivered. " No librarian, or attend ant, or any other officer or servant of the institution, shall receive any fee, perqui site, or gratuity, on account of, or dur ing the execution of their office, under penalty of immediate dismission from the service of the institution."