ROYAL INSTITUTION. The immediate origin of this important society will be beat explained by the following short ex tract from a letter written by Count Rum ford, in 1799, to the committee of the society, for "bettering the condition of the poor." "Inclosed I have the honour to send you a corrected copy of the pro posals I took the liberty of laying before you on Thursday last, for forming in this capital, by private subscription, a public institution for diffusing the knowledge, and facilitating the general and speedy introduction of new and useful mechani cal inventions and improvements; and also for teaching, by regular courses of philosophical lectures and experiments, the application of the new discoveries in science to the improvement of arts and manufactures, and in facilitating the means of procuring the comforts and conveniences of life." The committee made use of the first opportunity of communicating the above proposal to the society of which they were the acting members; the society immediately appointed a new committee to confer with the Count, and they re ported, "that they were satisfied that the institution proposed by him would be extremely beneficial and interesting to the community ;" and they recom mended that, in order to procure the ne cessary sum of money for establishing it, subscribers of fifty guineas each should become perpetual proprietors of the new institution ; and that each of those per sons should have perpetual transferable tickets for the lectures, besides ad mission to the apartments ; further pro posing, that when thirty such subscribers were obtained they should be invited to meet, to receive the plan, and elect ma nagers for the future proceedings. This report was favourably received and adopted, and a paper was immediately printed, explaining the proposed institu tion, and inviting those to whom it was communicated to become subscribers on the above terms ; fifty-eight names were instantly procured, of the highest re spectability ; the usual measures were pursued, in order to give permanency and consequence to the undertaking ; they were completely successful, and we now find it flourishing under the royal sanc tion, an honour to the nation and inven tor, to whom we should he highly un grateful, did we omit to give an outline of his original plan, which must of course be the basis of all present and future operations.
Spacious and airy rooms he considered absolutely necessary for the reception and exhibition of mechanical inventions and improvements, and those are to be con fined to such as tend to increase the con veniences and comforts of life, to esta blish domestic economy, improve taste, and useful industry; and in order to pro mote this part of the views of the institu tion to the utmost, he proposed that the best models should be procured and shown in action, or actual use, of cottage fire-places, and kitchen utensils for cotta gers, a complete kitchen for afarm-house, with all the necessary utensils ; a com plete kitchen, with the utensils, for the family of a man of fortune ; a complete laundry for a gentleman's family ; and a public hospital, including all the usual ap paratus ; Russian, Swedish, and German stoves ; open fire-places, on the beat prin ciples, with fires in them ; ornamental and economical grates ; stoves in elegant forms, for halls, drawing and eating rooms, &c. He next proposed to exhibit working models of the steam-engine, on a reduced scale, and of all the varieties of boilers for manufactories, hospitals, and ships, with improved fire-places; models of ventilators for rooms and ships; mo dels of hot-houses, of lime-kilns, of boil ers, steam-boilers, &c. for preparing food for cattle stall-fed ; of cottages, spinning wheels, and looms, calculated for the advantage of the poor, or any other ma chinery to employ them at home; models of all newly invented machines and im plements, likely to become beneficial in husbandry ; models of variously construct ed bridges, and any others which the managers may hereafter deem worthy of a place in so extensive a collection : that this part of the establishment may be rendered as useful as possible, the Count proposed that illustrative drawings should accompany the models, &c. with a written description, and the prices affixed at which the articles may be pro cured.