Our limits will not permit us to give more than the heads of the subjects for which premiums are offered, as the rami fications of each are very numerous, in order to render the operations of the so ciety as tseful as possible. They are, for planting and husbandry, containing fifty seven classes; for discoveries and improve ments in chemistry, dyeing, and mine ralogy, in twenty-eight classes: for pro mot;ng the polite arts, including one class offered by the will of John Stuck, Esq. for sculpture, twenty-two classes ; for en couraging and improving manufactures, six classes; for inventions in mechanics, twelve classes ; and to these are added premiums for the advantage of the Bri tish colonies and the British settlements in the F.ast Indies, in thirty-four classes. The premiums alluded to are medals of gold and silver, gold and silver pallets, and purses of ten, and twenty, or thirty, &c. guineas.
As the primary object of the society, in offering these rewards,is to rouse the ener gs of individuals, and to give currency to their inventions and improvements which appear to promise general benefit, the society is careful to acquaint the candi dates for them, " that ;f the means, by which the respective objects are effected, do require an expense or trouble too great for general purposes, the society will not consider itself as bound to give the offered reward ; but though it thus reserves the power of giving, in all cases, such part only of any premium as the performance shall he adjudged to deserve, or of withholding the whole, if there be no merit ; yet the candidates may be as sured, the society will always judge li berally of their several claims." The so ciety requires that the subjects, offered for obtaining the premiums, should be delivered at their house, without the names of the inventors or improvers, or any intimation by which they may be dis covered; and that each subject thus of fered shall have some private mark af fixed, which mark must appear upon the outside of a sealed paper, containing within, the claimant's name and address, to be delivered with the model, machine, &c. and they very properly refuse to perform their part of this liberal com pact, unless the candidate literally com plies with these judicious and necessary rules to preserve the strictest imparti ality.
The society opens no papers, except that corresponding to the mark which obtains a premium, unless it should in some case become necessary for the de termination of the claim ; the remainder of the papers are returned, with the ar ticles they belong to, if inquired after by the mark within two years; should they not be demanded at the close of that period, they are publicly burnt, in the state in which they were sent, dur ing the sitting of the society. The mo
dels that are considered worthy of a pre mium, or bounty, become the property of the Society, and when either is grant ed for a machine, the party receiving it is expected to present the Institution with a perfect model. As it cannot be expect ed that the funds of the society should amount to a sum equal to the claims of very numerous applicants, its bounties are necessarily confined to the residents of Great Britain and Ireland, except an express intimation to the contrary occurs; nor can any person receive a premium, who has obtained a patent for his discove ry or improvement ; besides, every per son claiming is expected to act in the same open and ingenuous manner adopt ed by the society ; for should he be de tected in any unfair attempts to secure success, he not only forfeits all preten sions for the time, but is rendered inca pable of future application.
The performances sent each year, which have obtained rewards, are left in the possession of the institution till after the public distribution of them, but no member can be a candidate for any thing more than the honorary medal of the society. " The candidates are, in all cases, expected to furnish a particular ac count of the subject of their claims : and where certificates are required to be produced in claim of premiums, they are to be expressed as clearly as possible in the words of the respective advertise ments, and to be signed by persons who have a positive knowledge of the facts stated. Where premiums or bounties are obtained, in consequence of speci mens produced, the society retains such part of those specimens as it judges ne cessary, at the same time making reason able compensation to the party concern ed, who cannot be admitted to any of the meetings of the society, or its com mittees, or at their rooms, after they have delivered their claims, unless they are summoned by the latter. The stat ed periods for distributing the rewards produce a most interesting series of spec tacles, which are not perhaps equalled by the operations of any other society. • Were we to follow the subject of this article to the extent it deserves, we should enter into an account of the