ROYAL SOCIETY (or Lonox). The origin of this society may be traced back to those stirring years of civil strife that brought in the commonwealth. Clubs for political, theological, and sectarian purposes were then numerous and active; and in the year 1645, "divers worthy persons, inquisitive into natural philosophy, and other parts of human learning, did, by agreements, meet weekly in London on a certain day, to treat and discourse of such affairs." Among these worthy persons were certain medical men, Dr. Wilkins, afterward bishop of Chester; Foster, profess& of astronomy in' Gresham collen-e- Wallis, the mathematician; and others, including a learned German from the palatinate; and out of their meetings arose the now world-famous Royal society. Wallis records that the subjects discoursed of were "the circulation of the blood; the valves in the veins; the venw lactem; the lympathie vessels; the Copernican hypothesis; the nature of comets and new stars; the satellites of Jupiter; the oval shape of Saturn; the spots in the sun, and its turning on its own axis; the inequalities and selenography of the moon; the several phases of Venus and Mercury; the improvement of telescopes, and grinding of glasses for that purpose; the weight of air; the possibility or impossi bility of vacuities, and nature's abhorrence thereof; the Torricellian experiment in quicksilver; the descent of heavy bodies, and the degrees of acceleration therein; and divers other things of like nature." In 1602 the persevering philosophers were, through the "grace and favor" of Charles II., incorporated by charter, in which they were described as the Royal society of London for the promotion of natural knowledge. The king gave them also a mace, and subsequently granted two other charters conferring additional powers and privileges. They are inscribed in a handsome volume known as the charter book, which, contain ing, as it does, the sign-manual of the founder, of other royal personages, and of nearly every fellow elected into the society, presents a collection of autographs unequaled in the world.
Through many difficulties, the young society pursued their way. Their meetings were internipted by the great fire and the plague; but in March, 1664-65, they published the first number of the Phiksophical Transactions, and thus commenced a record of their labors and researches, and at the same time a history of science of the highest value, comprising upward of 160 quarto volumes. Besides this, the society publish an octavo serial entitled Proceedings, in which an account of the ordinary meetings is set forth. This serial was commenced in 1800, and now fills about 30 volumes. Another publication, in 8 large quarto volumes, is the Catalogue of Scientific Papers, containing the titles of scientific papers published in all parts of the world from 1800 to 1873. This great work, invaluable for purposes of reference, was compiled at the cost of the society, and gives in methodical form a record of the scientific progress of 73 years of the century, These works are not restricted to the fellows, but are sold to the general public.
By. increase of numbers—including scientific men on the continent, who were elected as foreign members—the society widened their sphere of usefulness. They promoted the publication of Newton's Pr/tic/pia and optical works; they lent instruments to Greenwich observatory in its early days, and were appointed visitors of that establish ment by queen Anne—a function which they still exercise; they aided travelers and scientific investigators; through force of circumstances they became the advisers of the govermrient on scientific subjects; Cook's celebrated voyage to observe the transit of Venus was undertaken at their instance; and from the voyage of the Endeavor down to the voyage of the Challenger, it would be difficult to specify a scientific expedition which had not been equipped under the advice of the Royal society.