Star.
London, England, 1830-11-12 00:00:00

ROYAL SOCIETY.

The following are some of the charges against the President and
Council of the Royal Society, which Sir James South is about to
publish for the information of the Society, and for the benefit of
the public.
1. For having kept during many months from inspection by the
Fellows, the minutes of the proceedings of the council ; and from
members of committees, the minutes of the sub-committees appointed
by themselves ; notwithstanding the secretariat department costs the
Fellows upwards of 5801. a year.
Z 2. For omitting to enter on the minutes letters of Fellows which con-
veyed sentiments not pleasing to themselves, or calculated to expose to
the society the lamentable state of its affairs.
3. For having altered or garbled minutes of the proceedings of the
Council, the originals being less suited to the purposes of delusion.
4. As visiters of the Royal Observatory, having saddled the country
I year after year with considerable expense, in order that astronomical
lobservations might, by additional assistance, be pursued uninterrupted-
ly through the night, for permitting the continuous observations to ter-
minate, and the Observatory to be put to sleep generally at, or even
before, midnight.
5. Having received intimation that his Royal Highness the Duke
of Sussex was anxious to have a seat in the council, for having uncere-
moniously pronounced his wish an improper one, fearing lest the manly
sagacity of his Royal Highness might penetrate some of their my..
teries.

6. For having promoted to honour,—l beg pardon, to seats which
formerly were honourable,— individuals, whose observations had, by
their marvellous coincidence, created astonishment amongst scientific
men, both at home and abroad.
7. For having thrown away the public money, by publishing astrono-
mical observations from manuscripts which they considered criginal, but
which the most superficial examination of the well-informed immedi.
ately detected to be mutilated copies.
8. For having endeavoured to get sent from the country, to its anti-
podes, on an arduous public scientific appointment, under accusations
the most serious, an individual whose self-condemnation is before the
public.
9. For having defrauded Sir Thomas Brisbane of his scientific rights;
for having published the observations made at his own expense, and in
his own observatory, without having even consulted him on the matter ;
and for having omitted all mention of those facts in the work alluded to.
I Having acknowledged before the society and its indices, at one of its
weekly meetings, that the above accusations were just, for having en.
tered on the journals no minute that such charges had been made
by one of the fellows; and for allowing the predatory volume of the
" Philosophical Transactions" to remain till the present day in its on.
ginal state, notwithstanding six months ago, the President " entirely
acquiesced" in the suggestion of the complaining fellow, " that the title
page of the volume should be cancelled, and that its preface; should be
re-written."

10. Having procured Capt. Eater to make experiments on " weights
and measures," which have led to an enormous public expense ; for al-
lowing those whom it was their duty to have informed of their &Hare to
remain in the undisturbed enjoyment of their ideas that the object con.
templated by Parliament had been most happily arrived at ; whereas it
is known not only to the President, but is notorious throughout Europe
—ay, and in America too—that Capt. Kilter a experiments must be re-
rated ere we can pretend to accurate estrinstioos either of measure or
of weight.
11. or refusing to discuss the merits of a single paragraph of a re-
port of a committee, unanimously appointed by the council of the pre-
ceding year, which had for its object " to consider the best means of
limiting the members admitted into the society,' 81c. because the mug-
gesticets contained in the " Report," if adopted, would certainly have
displaced themselves and their President.
12. For having converted into an eating and drinking party, the visi-
tation of the Royal °beam/my $ so that his blajosty hes been gra-,
Measly pleased to transfer the moiety Of an haw enjoyed by the so-
ciety Dearly a century and a half, to another Itiv4rt7.
-13. For having intended to give the Copley Medal last year for
a presented to the society subsequent to the period when, by
custom, such competition was precluded; and moreover, that
such intention was expeessed. before Ole paper bad been read so the so.
tiety,—circumstances Which beComing known to the author otihe paper
alluded to, caused him to hint to some members of the council that their
medal would not be acceptable : thus placing the society in the dia.