The Sun.
London, England, 1825-12-01 00:00:00

THE ROYAL SOCIETY.

• Yesterday the Royal Society, incorporated in
.Charles the Second's reign,' had their splendid Anniversary
Dinner at the Crown and Anchor Tavern. The company
iwhich was distinguished and select, Members only of the
Royal Society being admitted) sat down to an elegant dinner
-soon after six o'clock Amongst the company present were the
Bishop of Carlisle, Mr. Secretary Peel, Mr. Bell (the retired
Chancery Barrister), Sir Everard Home, who was accompanied
by his sea, Captain Heine, &c., W. Maddock, Esq. (of Port-
land-place), D. Gilbert, Esq. M.P., the Society's Treasurer,
Nath.: Lee, Esq., the SeCretary, Mr. More, of. Lincoln's-inn,
the Treasurer of the Society's Club, &c.
Sir HUMPHREY DAVY, the successor of the late Sir Joseph
Bankes, the President of the Society, took the Chair. On his
light hand was the Bishop of Carlisle, and on his left sat Mr.
Secretary Peel.
The cloth having been removed, the Chairman proposed—
'4' The King, the Patron of the Royal Society." In doing so,
-the said, it was .unnecessary for him to enlarge on the claims
-which his Majesty had on their and the country's grateful ac-
Anowledgments:—The King was not only the Patron of the
Royal Society, he most liberally patronized the Arts and
Sciences generally, and every thing that was calculated to pro-
mote the renown and the welfare of the nation. The toast was
received with the most marked enthusiasm.
Mr. Secretary PEEL. rose. He said he was not presump-
- tous enough to claim their attention for the purpose of return-
ing thanks for the honour which they had justly conferred on
his Majesty ; his object in rising was to state that he had it in
,comlnand from his Majesty to communicate the King's inten-
tion of annually presenting the Society with two medals of the
-value of M. each, to be bestowed as rewards for meritorious
exertions on valuable and useful productions or discoveries.
His Majesty had been pleased further to command him to
state that he desired in no way to specify the objects for which
such medals were to be deemed as rewards; that might preju-
diciallylimit their utility; the disposition of them would be
• cleft solely to the judgment of the Royal Society's Council. His
Majesty, who was indeed a munificent Patron of the Arts and
.Sciences, had confidence in the Society's skill and discretion,
and therefore left the appropriation of the medals with them,
feeling assured that they would so use and award them as to
:give, what was, his Majesty's object, useful stimulus, and to
promote valuable scientific research and discoveries. The
Right Honourable Secretary added that he felt peculiarly com-
plimented and grateful in having been selected to make this
-communication to that distinguished Society.
" The Duke of York, and the Royal Family ;"—" the So-
ciety of Antiquarians:"—" the Royal Academy," were toasts
that followed.
Mr. D. GILBERT, M.P. then proposed the health of the Pre-
sident of the Royal Society. He would not occupy the attention
of the room with dwelling on the merits of their distinguished
Chairman, especially as that individual was necessarily present ;
indeed it was not requisite, for his excellences were well known
to those assembled on the present occasion. His varied acquire-
• silents, and his useful discoveries, not only reflected great ho-
nour on himself, but had been highly valuable to his country.
His zeal for the success of that Society they all knew, and it had
been made still more manifest by their President's conduct and
statements in the Society's Council held that morning. The
toast was honoured in the most friendly and enthusiastic
manner. _ _

Sir H. DAVY, in returning his acknowledgments said, that
he had felt fully sensible of the value of the compliment that
bad just been conferred on him, as well as of the distinction of
being the President of so honourable and useful a Society. That
Society had hitherto been eminently valuable in promoting
information, laudable inquiries, and useful discoveries; science
owed much to it. The Society had heretofore stimulated to
valuable research and discovery; and with such patronage,
.and after the communication of that evening, it could not fail to
be still more eminent and useful. The spirit of inquiry was
now abroad ; the desire of improvement, and the anxiety for
useful research and discoveries, now more than ever animated so-
ciety. Science within the last 100 years had made rapid. strides,
so much so that could the inhabitants of another planet have
been a century ago dropped on the earth, then withdrawn, and
now brought to revisit this sublunary scene, such person would
hardly recognise it to be the same spot that he had before visited.
The changes were not such as to require detail from him ;
though the rail roads and canals of the country, the extensive
application of • the steam engine, the improvements in the
mariner's compass, &c. proved the varied and wonderful
changes; and they also showed what was still more gratifying,
that the great discoveries in science had been rendered subser-
vient to the-Uses and prosperity of society. He copcluded with
assuring the company of his devotion to the interests of the
Royal Society, and to the general advancement of science.
11.?1.th of the Vice-Preaents hiving been given. _

The Bishop ofCA111:151E (on behalf of himself and Sir
*.Everard Home), begged to return heartfelt acknowledgments
for the honour that had just been conferred. Zealous as he was
-to promote the welfare of the Society, he knew his own un-
ororthiness for the distinguished station to which he had been
raised ' • but he could assure them that no anxieties of attention
-would be wanting on his part to promote the interests of the
• Royal Society, and of science generally.
. 'After the Treasurer's health had been given, and Mr. D.
-Gilbert, M. P., had returned thanks ; and after some other toasts
,to Mr. Barlow, of Woolwich, &c., the company separated.
, * Hume (in his History, ch. Ipkxi.) thus mentions the origin
of this Society Amongst the thick cloud of bigotry and
ignorance which overspread the nation during the Common=
wealth and Protectorship, there were a few sedate philosophers,
who, in the retirement of Oxford, cultivated their reason, and
established conferences for the mutual communication of their
discoveries in physics and geometry. Wilkins, a clergyman,
who had married Cromwell's sister, and was afterwards Bishop
of Chester, promoted these philosophical conversations. Imme-
diately after the Restoration, these men procured a patent, and
. having enlarged their number, were denominated the Royal
Society.' But this patent was all they obtained from the King.
Though he was a lover of the sciences, particularly chemistry
and mechanics, he animated them by his example alone, not
by his bounty."—p. 332.