of fancy goods, gloves, ribbons, ruffs, bands, stomachers, etc;1 and its series of statues (placed in niches as before) of our kings and queens, from Edward I. downwards, carved for the most part by Caius Gabriel Cibber, father of Colley. Later were added the first two Georges by Rysbrack, the third George by Wilton, and George IV. Gresham's statue was by Edward Pierce, and the statue of Charles II., in the centre of the quadrangle, by Grinling Gibbons.2 Jarman's Exchange, which is said to have cost £58,962, was destroyed by fire, January 10, 1838.

In excavating for the new Royal Exchange the workmen came. upon a remarkable hole measuring 50 feet by 34, which had apparently been a gravel pit in the time of the Romans, but closed and built over some time before they left the island. Numerous Roman remains, fragments of pottery, knives, combs, sandals, and other articles of domestic and personal use were found in it, apparently thrown there when worn out or broken. These were carefully collected by Mr. Tite (who drew up and printed an elaborate Descriptive Catalogue of them), and are now in the City Museum, Guildhall.

Royal Exchange Buildings, facing the east front of the Royal Exchange, were built in 1846 from the designs of the late Edward I'Anson. The ground is the property of Magdalen College, Oxford. At the north end of Royal Exchange Buildings was erected in 1869 a seated statue in bronze of George Peabody, an American, who so munificently provided improved dwellings for the London poor. The statue was modelled by Mr. Peabody's countryman, Mr. W. W. Story, and was cast at Munich. When first set up it was of a bright golden hue, but has already become so black as to render the features almost undistinguishable—a matter the more to be regretted as the likeness was pronounced by Mr. Peabody's friends to be both true and characteristic. Near the statue was erected in 1879 a very pretty drinking-fountain with a marble statue of Charity. It cost £1500.

Royal Free Hospital, east side of GRAY'S INN ROAD. This hospital was founded in 1828, "to receive all Destitute Sick and Diseased Persons, to whatever Nation they may belong, who may choose to present themselves as Out-Patients, and as great a number of In-Patients as the state of the Charity will permit." Previously there was no medical establishment in London into which the destitute poor, when overtaken by disease, could find instant admission without a letter of recommendation. The hospital has recently been much enlarged, and now contains 150 beds. It admits into its wards about 1900 in-patients, and administers advice and medicine to over 21,000 out-patients annually. The income in 1888 from charitable contributions and legacies was £11,250, and, from invested funds £1077. The hospital relieves the sick of a very poor and thickly inhabited district.

1 See the Fair Maid of the Exchange, by T. Heywood, 4to, 1607.

2 Gibbons received £500 for it. See Wright's Publick Transactions, 12mo, 1685, p. 198.

ROYAL INSTITUTION OF GREAT BRITAIN

185

Royal Geographical Society. [See Geographical Society, Royal.]

Royal Horticultural Society. [See Horticultural Society, Royal.]

Royal Humane Society. [See Humane Society.]

Royal Institute of British Architects. [See Institute of British Architects, Royal.]

Royal Institution of Great Britain, 21 ALBEMARLE STREET, PICCADILLY, established March 9, 1799, at a meeting held at the house of Sir Joseph Banks, for diffusing the knowledge and facilitating the general introduction of useful mechanical inventions and improvements, etc. Count Rumford was its earliest promoter, and in a Poetical Epistle to him some portions of the scheme were handled with considerable humour, more particularly the "Refreshment Room."

With rapture have I visited thy house
And marvell'd at thy vast extent of vous.
Thanks to thy care that, midst its ample round,

Soup, tea and toast, and coffee may be found;

And wine, and punch, and porter-freshening draught,
Mending the monstrous wear and tear of thought,

Thus a new birth shall Rumford's glory tell,
And from its bowels spring a grand Hotel.

The front of the building—a row of half-engaged Corinthian columns
-was designed by Mr. Lewis Vulliamy; and what, before 1837, was
little better than a perforated brick wall, was thus converted into an
ornamental façade. Here are a convenient lecture-theatre, one of the
best for its acoustic properties of any in London, an excellent library
of about 50,000 volumes, and a good reading-room, with weekly courses
of lectures throughout the season, on science, philosophy, literature,
and art. Members are elected by ballot. The admission fee is 5
guineas, and the annual subscription 5 guineas. Annual subscribers
pay
the same subscription, with an entrance fee of one guinea.
A syllabus of each course may be obtained of the secretary at the
Institution. The Friday evening meetings of the members, at which
some eminent person is invited to deliver a popular lecture on some
subject of interest connected with science, art, or literature, are well
attended. Campbell delivered his lectures on poetry here in 1812,
but was nervous about his Caledonianisms.”
guineas for the five, then a large honorarium.1
to lecture but was advised not.

He was paid 100
Moore was invited

July 1, 1813.-I was solicited very flatteringly to lecture at the Royal Institution next year. Campbell has just ended his lectures. I should not have

disliked it, but by Rogers' advice, and that of some other friends (who thought it infra dig.) I declined it.-Life of Thomas Moore, vol. viii. p. 145.

1 Life, vol. ii. p. 212.

186

ROYAL INSTITUTION OF GREAT BRITAIN

In the laboratory of the Royal Institution Davy made his great discoveries on the metallic bases of the alkalies and the earths, aided by the large galvanic apparatus of the establishment. His laboratory note-books, in which these discoveries are recorded, are preserved in the library. And here his assistant and successor carried out those investigations in chemistry, electricity and magnetism which placed him in the foremost rank among the scientific men of Europe. Faraday was appointed laboratory assistant, and went to reside "in two rooms at the top of the house," on March 1, 1813; and here he resided continuously until 1858, when Her Majesty gave him a residence at Hampton Court. He delivered his last "Juvenile Course "The Chemistry of a Candle" in 1860, and on June 20, 1862, his last Friday evening discourse; but he retained his post as laboratory director till 1865.

on

Royal Military Asylum (popularly THE DUKE OF YORK'S SCHOOL), CHELSEA. Built from the designs of John Sanders in 1801. Founded for the maintenance and education of orphan children of British soldiers. The children, 500 in number, are admitted between the ages of ten and twelve and leave when fourteen.

Royal Society, BURLINGTON HOUSE. Incorporated by royal charter, April 22, 1663, as "the Royal Society of London for the advancement of Natural Science," King Charles II. and his brother the Duke of York entering their names as members of the Society. This celebrated Society (boasting of the names of Newton, Wren, Halley, Cavendish, Watt, Herschel, Davy and Faraday among its members) originated in a small attendance of men engaged in the same pursuits, and dates its beginning from certain weekly meetings held in London as early as the year 1645; "sometimes," as Wallis relates, "at Dr. Goddard's lodgings in Wood Street; sometimes at a convenient place [the Bull Head Tavern] in Cheapside; and sometimes at Gresham College, or some place near adjoining." The merit of suggesting such meetings is assigned by Wallis (himself a foundation member) to Theodore Haak, a German of the Palatinate, then resident in London. The Civil War interrupted their pursuits for a time; and Wilkins, Wallis and Goddard removing to Oxford, a second Society was established, Seth Ward, Ralph Bathurst, Dr. (afterwards Sir William) Petty and the Honourable Robert Boyle joining their number, and taking an active part in the furtherance of their views. With the Restoration of the King a fresh accession of strength was obtained, new members enlisted, meetings were again held in Gresham College, and on November 28, 1660, a resolution was adopted to establish the meetings on a regular basis, the memorandum of this meeting being, according to the Society's historian, "the first official record of the Royal Society." It was agreed, December 12, 1660, to hold the meetings of the Society weekly at Gresham College, where "a subject" was

1 Weld, Hist. of Royal Soc., vol. ii. p. 65.

given out for discussion and very frequently experiments were performed. Almost from the first the King showed an active interest in the proceedings, and did the fellows "the favour and honour of offering to be entered on the Society," and on July 15, 1662, granted them a Charter of Incorporation, and when this was found to have "failed in giving the Society certain privileges essential to their welfare," granted them a new patent, which passed the Great Seal on April 22, 1663, and is the acting charter of the Society at the present day. The Society continued to hold its meetings in Gresham College; and after the Great Fire, by permission of the Duke of Norfolk, in Arundel House. Subsequently the Society returned to Gresham College; but in 1710 removed to Crane Court, Fleet Street, and from thence in 1782 to Somerset House, where apartments had been assigned to them by George III. These being required for Government offices they removed in 1857 to Old Burlington House; and in 1873 to the new east wing which had been erected with especial regard to the Society's requirements.

The meetings of the Society are held weekly (on Thursdays) from November to June. From among the candidates fifteen are annually selected by the Council for election by the members. At the Anniversary Meeting in November 1889 there was a total of 518 Fellows (including 47 Honorary Foreign Members). The letters F.R.S. are the distinguishing mark of a Fellow. The patron saint of the Society is St. Andrew, and the Anniversary Meeting is held every 30th of November, being St. Andrew's Day. The Scottish saint was chosen out of compliment to Sir Robert Murray or Moray, a Scot, one of the most active of the foundation members and president of the Society before the charter. When the Society was first established it was severely ridiculed by the wits of the time, "for what reason," says Dr. Johnson, "it is hard to conceive, since the philosophers professed not to advance doctrines, but to produce facts; and the most zealous enemy of innovation must admit the gradual progress of experience, however he may oppose hypothetical temerity." Isaac D'Israeli has given an account of the hostilities it encountered, but, curiously enough, has overlooked the inimitable satire of Butler, called The Elephant in the Moon. The History of the

Society was written by Sprat in 1667, by Birch in 1756, by Thomson in 1812, and by Weld in 1848. Mr. Weld has made the same omission as Mr. D'Israeli. The Philosophical Transactions, commenced in 1666, now occupy nearly 200 quarto volumes. The Proceedings, commenced in 1832, consist of forty-six volumes up to 1889. The first president after the incorporation of the Society was Viscount Brouncker, and the second Sir Joseph Williamson. Sir Christopher Wren was the third. Pepys the diarist and seven others, among whom were Halifax and Somers, came before Sir Isaac Newton, who, however, retained the chair til his death twenty-four years afterwards. Sir Hans Sloane succeeded Newton. Sir Joseph Banks was president from 1778 to 1820.

1 Weld, Hist. of Royal Soc., vol. i. p. 141.

Among the secretaries have been Bishop Wilkins, John Evelyn, Hans Sloane, Edmund Halley, Wollaston, Robert Hooke, Sir Humphry Davy, and Sir John Herschel.

The Society possesses some interesting portraits. Observe.-Three portraits of Sir Isaac Newton-one by C. Jervas, presented by Newton himself, and the other two by Vanderbank; Bacon, by Van Somer; two portraits of Halley, by Thomas Murray and Dahl; two of Hobbes -one taken in 1663 by, says Aubrey, "a good hand," and the other by Caspars, presented by Aubrey; Sir Christopher Wren, by Kneller ; Wallis, by Soest; Flamsteed, by Gibson; Robert Boyle, by F. Kerseboom (Evelyn says it is like); Pepys, by Kneller, presented by Pepys; Lord Somers, by Kneller; Sir R. Southwell, by Kneller; Sir H. Spelman, the antiquary, by Mytens; Sir Hans Sloane, by Kneller; Sir Joseph Banks, by Phillips; Lord Brouncker, by Lely; Dr. S. Chandler, by Chamberlain; Sir John Pringle, by Reynolds. Dr. Birch, by Wells, the original of the mezzotint done by Faber in 1741, bequeathed by Birch; Martin Folkes, by Hogarth; Dr. Wollaston, by Jackson; Sir Humphry Davy, by Sir T. Lawrence; Dr. Price, by West. Observe also.The mace of silver gilt (similar to the maces of the Lord Chancellor, the Speaker, and President of the College of Physicians), presented to the Society by Charles II. in 1662. The belief so long entertained that it was the mace or "bauble," as Cromwell called it, of the Long Parliament, was completely refuted by the late C. R. Weld, the assistant secretary, producing the original warrant of the year 1662, for the special making of this very mace. A solar dial, made by Sir Isaac Newton when a boy, and taken from the house at Woolsthorpe; a reflecting telescope, made in 1671 by Newton's own hands; original MS. of the Principia; lock of Newton's hair, silver white; MS. of the Parentalia, by Christopher Wren, the son; Charter Book of the Society, bound in crimson velvet, containing the signatures of the Founder and Fellows; marble busts. of Charles II. and George III., by Nollekens ; Newton, by Roubiliac; Sir Joseph Banks, by Chantrey, and Mrs. Somerville, by Chantrey. The Society possesses a library of about 40,000 volumes almost exclusively scientific; a Scientific Relief Fund; a Donation Fund, established to aid men of science in their researches, and distributes five gold medals in all; a biennial Rumford gold medal, two Royal medals, a Copley medal, called by Davy "the ancient olive crown of the Royal Society," and a Davy medal.

Royal Society of Literature, 21 DELAHAY STReet, St. James's PARK. Founded in 1825 "for the advancement of Literature in its more important branches, with a special attention to the improvement of the English Language," and incorporated by royal charter, September 13, 1826. George IV. gave 1100 guineas a year to this Society, which has the merit of rescuing the last years of Coleridge's life from complete dependence on a friend, and of placing the learned Dr. Jamieson, who was fast sinking to the grave, above want. This