TRANSACTIONS, philosophical, a kind of journal of the principal things that come before the RoYal Society of Lon don. See SOCIETY. It appears, that the printing of these transactions was always, front time to time, the single act of the re spective secretaries of the Society, till the publication of the 47th volume, in 1753; notwithstanding it has been the common opinion, that they were published by the authority, and under the direction, of the Society itself The truth is, that the So ciety, as a body, never did interest them selves further in their publication, than by occasionally recommending the revisal of them to some of their secretaries, when, from the particular circumstances of their affairs, the transactions had happened for any length of time to be intermitted; and this seems principally to have been done with a view to satisfy the pubic, that their usual meetings were then continued for the improvement of knowledge, and benefit of mankind, the great ends of their first institution; but the Society being of late years greatly enlarged, and their communications more minim:QM they thought it advisable, that; a commit tee of their members should be appointed to reconsider the papers react before them, and select Out of them such as they should judge proper for publication in the future transactions, which was ac col dingly done upon the 26th of March, 1752.
The transactions are now usually pub lished in half volumes twice a year, and each member is entitled to receive one copy gratis, of every part published after his admission into the Society. The vo lumes have lately been abridged by Dr. Hutton and others. Those published be fore the year 1750, were abridged in eleven volumes, quarto, by Mr. Jones, Mr. Eames, and Mr. Marty n.