silver mace§ At a meeting held on December 14, 1663, it was—“Ordered, that the Secretary bring in a list of the Names of all the Benefactors to the Society, together with their Donations, and the time when they presented them.” It was also—“Ordered that the Benefactors be registered in loose vellum sheets.” Unfortunately these early “vellum sheets” are no longer in existence, but in the lists prepared from the Index to the MS Council Minutes we find: “King Charles II, 1663. Presented the Society with a mace of silver, richly gilt, weighing 190oz averdupois.” which Charles II presented to the Society, it is described as: “The Royal Society for the improving of Natural Knowledge by experiments”; and its charter gave it power to appoint two “Curators of experiments.” The importance attached to experiments carried out at the meetings is shown by the Society early availing itself of this power and appointing, in 1664, as one of the Curators, Robert Hooke, ¶ The dates of Hooke's appointment as Curator, and of his election as a Fellow, are doubtful. Those given above are taken from p. 17 of The Record of the Royal Society of London (Harrison and Sons, 1897), but an article (unsigned) on Hooke in the Encyc. Brit, says that he was appointed Curator on November 12, 1662, and elected a Fellow in 1663. Curiously enough The Record itself confirms this latter statement, for, on p. 9, it gives: “Robert Hooke, M.A.—afterwards LL.D. Born July 18, 1635. Died March 3, 1702,” in a list of those declared “Members of the Society” at a meeting held on May 20, 1663. As The Record appears to have made bad use of the records in this case, it may well be wrong in the other. Hooke retained the office of Curator of Experiments until his death; Papin until his appointment, in 1687, to the chair of mathematics in the University of Marburg. who had been assistant to the Hon. Robert Boyle, admitting him at the same time as a Fellow of the Society. He was elected “for perpetuity, with a salary of £30 a year, pro tempore,” and given apartments. In 1684, Denis Papin was appointed Joint-Curator with Hooke. Some of the experiments were instituted at the instigation of Charles II; and very often, we are told, the Society prepared experiments hoping, but in vain, that the King would do them the honour to witness them. Although the Royal Society was now a body corporate under royal charter, it continued to conduct its meetings much as they had been conducted when its members met as a private company, and a good idea of the character of these early meetings may be gained from the following extracts from the Journal-Book minutes of the fourth meeting after that at which the charter had been read. September 10th, 1662. “Mersennus, his account of the tenacity of cylindrical bodies was read by Mr. Croone, to whome the prosecution of that matter by consulting Galilæo, was referred when the translation of that Italian treatise wherein he handleth of this subject shall bee printed.” “The reading of the french manuscript brought in by Sir Robert Moray about taking heights and distances by catoptricks was deferred till the description of the instrument should come.” “Dr Goddard made an experiment concerning the force that presseth the aire into lease dimensions; und it was found that twelve ounces did contract 1/24 part of Aire. The quantity of Air is wanting.” “Dr Charleton read an Essay of his, concerning the velocity of sounds, direct and reflexe, and was desired to prosecute thin matter; and to bring his discourse again next day to be enter'd.” “Mr. Evelyn's experiment was brought in of Animal engrafting, and in particular of making a Cock spur grow on a Cock's head.” “Dr Goddard made the experiment to show how much aire a man's lungs may hold, by sucking up water into a separating glasse after the lungs had been well emptied of aire. Several persons of the Society trying it, some sucked up in one suction about three pintes of water, one six, another eight pintes and three quarters,