Soon after this time the prosperity of the society seems to have suffered seine diminution. In 1667, when Dr. Sprat's history' was published, there were nearly 200 members; in 1673, it appears that the number was only 146, and of these 79 were persons who bawl long neglected to pay their subscriptions. This great number of defaultera gave much uneasiness to those who wished well to the society ; and the latter, besides making pressing applications for the arrears, seriously contemplated an attempt to enforce payment by legal processes. It clime not appear that this last measure was ever put in practice, and the council adopted a more effectual Inman of promoting the welfare of the society in charging theutaelves with the duty of delivering lectures on philosophical subjects. end in providing a number of good experimeuts. The first lecture, in pursuance of this plan, appears to have been delivered in 1674, by Sir William Petty, and it was ordered to be printed. The president (Lord 13rouneker) also proposed, in 1668, that a silver medal, worth about twenty shillings, should be given to any fellow, not a curator, who should nutke before the society any particularly meritorious experiment.
Dune Lady Sailleir, the relict of Dr. Croone, one of the earliest inembere, left by her will, in 1706, a sum of money for the purpose of foliuding a lecture far the adrostersent of ;ware/ knees/edge, to be read before the ltoyal Society ; this did not however come into operation till 1738, when the first was delivered by Dr. Stuart. The Bakerian lecture on cleetro-ebeinietry was founded in 1774, and the first was delivered in 1775, by Mr. Peter W'oulfe.
In the infancy of the society a due attention to the characters of the persona admitted as fellows does not appear to have been always given ; and, in consequence, many joined who neither paid the fees nor contributed any information at the meetings, and, at the same time, the number of those who were excused the payments was found to bear too great a proportion to the whole. In order to remedy these evils, In 1682, the president, Sir Christopher Wren, brought in the draught of a statute hi which it was provided that any person pro posing a candidate for admission should give hie name to some mem ber of the council ; at the next or at some following 'meeting of the council, it was to be considered whether the proposed candidate was likely to be useful to the society or not ; if the members were satisfied on this head, the candidate was to be formally proposed at the 'mat meeting, and afterwards balloted for as usual. On his election he was to sign the statute book, and on or before being admitted, he was to pay the prescribed fees. In the same year It was agreed that none except foreigners should bo exempted from the payments. It is to
be presumed that the portions who were excused the payment of the admission-fen or the weekly subscriptions were such as, from the pressure of their circumstances, were unable to incur the expense, or such as, from the services which they rendered to the society, might justly claim the exemption : among those who petitioned to be excused on the former ground is to be found the name of Newton, then resident at Cambridge.
It was proposed, in October, 1674, to refuse to strangers the per mission, which had been before granted, to be present at the meetings of the society, from an opinion that members might be unwilling to bring forward their communications in the presence of such persons. And at the same time it was proposed that the members should bind themselves not to divulge what passed in their meetings, it being thought prejudicial to the interests of the society that the particulars of the experiments and communications should be made known before they appeared in the printed Transactions.' We read that, on one occasion only, a lady was permitted to be present at the meetings of the society ; this was in 1667, when the Duchess of Newcastle, having expressed a wish to that effect, it was agreed to invite her grace, and some experiments, which had been prepared for the purpose, were repeated in her presence.
By the death of Dr. Wilkins (then bishop of Chester), one of the earliest members, the society obtained a legacy of 4001., which, in January, 1675, was laid out in the purchase of an annual income of 211. from certain fee farm rents at Lewes, in Sussex ; and in January, 1682, the college and lands in Chelsea, which had been granted to the society, were sold to the king for 1300/. ' • this sum was soon afterwards vested in African and East Indian stock, and from that time the society began to possess a permanent revenue. Till the year 1668 no fixed salary was allowed to the secretary ; but Mr. Oldenburg, who had long held that post, received 501. occasionally, and in that year it was agreed to allow him 401. per annum. After his death (1677) two secretaries were appointed, with salaries; but in 1685, Mr. Aston and Mr. Robinson declining on a sudden to serve the society, the council resolved, in order to avoid the inconvenience of being so deserted in future, to have two honorary secretaries; it was agreed also to have a secretary with a fixed salary to transact the business, and the qualifications required in the person who should fill the latter post are stated at length in Birch's History,' vol. iv. Of the former, Sir John lloskyus and Dr. Gale were the two first ; and in January, 1636, Mr. Edmund llalley was appointed the paid secretary, at 501. per annum.