L A W S.

I. THAT the Ordinary Members only shall be invefted with

the privilege of voting and electing Members; and that the whole expences of the Society shall devolve upon them.

II. That Gentlemen refiding at a distance from Manchester, fhall be eligible into this Society, under the title of Honorary Members, provided no one be recommended who has not diftinguished himself by his literary or philofophical publications.

III. That Gentlemen at a distance, who have favoured the Society with important communications, or from whom fuch contributions may be expected, shall be eligible, under the title of Correfponding Members.

IV. That every Candidate for admiffion into the Society, whether as an Ordinary, Honorary or Correfponding Member, shall be proposed by at leaft three Ordinary Members, who shall fign a certificate of his being, from their knowledge of him, of his character, or his writings, a fit perfon to be admitted into it; which certificate shall be read at four fucceffive meetings of the Society, previous to the election.

V. That every election fhall be conducted by ballot, and that the majority of votes fhall decide, thirteen Members at least being prefent; or a week's previous notice being given, after the fourth reading. That the prefident fhall have the determining voice, if the number of votes be equal.

VI. That when an Ordinary Member removes to a greater distance than twenty miles from Manchester, he may be entitled to the continuance of the privileges of the Society, by paying five guineas to the treafurer, in lieu of his annual fubfcription.

VII. That a President, four Vice-Presidents, two Secretaries, a Treasurer and a Librarian, be elected annually by the majority of Members present, on the last Friday in the month of April. The election to be determined by ballot.

VIII. That a Committee of Papers fhall be appointed by ballot, at the fame time, which fhall confift of the President, Vice-Prefidents, Secretaries, Treasurer and Librarian, together with fix other Members of the Society; and that this Committee fhall decide by ballot concerning the publication of any Paper which shall have been read before the Society; and shall select, with the confent of the author, detached parts of any Paper, the whole of which may not be deemed proper for publication; but that the presence of seven Members of the Committee fhall be neceffary for fuch difcuffion or decision.

IX. That Vifitors may be introduced by any Member to the meetings of the Society, with the permiffion of the Chairman.

X. That every Member who fhall favour the Society with communications, fhall fend them to one of the Secretaries, the Monday before the meeting of the Society.

XI. That the Secretary to whom the Paper fhall be delivered, fhall, with the approbation of the Prefident, or two Vice Prefidents, have the power of fufpending the reading of it until it be referred to a meeting of the Committee of Papers, whose decision fhall be final.

XII. That all Papers judged admiffible shall be read by one of the Secretaries, or by the author, in their order.

XIII. That no more than half an hour shall be allowed for the reading of any Paper, and if the whole cannot be read within that time, the remainder, except the Society determine otherwise, fhall be deferred till the fucceeding evening. No Paper however

fhall

shall engage more than two evenings, without the confent of the Society, expreffed by ballot, if required.

XIV. That authors be requested to furnish the Society with an epitome of their Papers, which may be read at the meeting fucceeding the reading of each Paper, and the difcuffion renewed.

XV. That each Ordinary Member shall pay one guinea annually, by half yearly payments, into the hands of the Treasurer, to defray incidental expences, and to establish a fund for the benefit of the Society. Each Member on his election to pay his Subfcription for the current half year, together with one guinea admiffion fee.

XVI. That no Laws fhall be enacted, refcinded or altered, but at the quarterly meetings, on the last Fridays in the months of January, April, and October; and that notice fhall be given, at least fourteen days previous to thofe meetings.

XVII. That the Society fhall publish a volume of mifcellaneous papers, at least every two years. And that at stated times, the Committee shall select from the papers which have been read to the Society, fuch as fhall appear to be most worthy of publication, but that no paper shall be published without the confent of the author. That every paper, voted for publication by the Committee of Papers, shall be sent to the press without delay; that notice of the printing shall be given to the author, and that he be entitled to thirty feparate copies, on paying the extraordinary expence attending them.

XVIII. That a Library be formed for the use of the Members of this Society, and that the Librarian be authorized to purchafe fuch books, as fhall be ordered at the quarterly meetings of the Society; but that no book shall be taken out of the Library, without leave of the Librarian, limiting the time of keeping it to feven days.

XIX. That the Refolution to establish a Library be announced to the Honorary and Correfponding Members of the Society; and that it be intimated to them by the Secretaries, that donations of their past and future publications will be highly acceptable.

XX. That a gold medal fhall be given to the author of the most valuable experimental paper, containing fome important discovery relative to the arts and manufactures of Manchester, which shall have been delivered to the Secretaries, and read at the ordinary meeting of the Society, before the laft Friday in March 1791.

XXI. That the adjudication of this premium be referred to the Committee of Papers; that their decifion shall be made by ballot, and that the medal shall be delivered by the Prefident to the person to whom it shall have been adjudged, or to his reprefentative, at the first meeting of the Society in October 1791.

XXII. That two filver medals fhall be given annually, one to the author of the best Effay on a Literary, and another to the best on a Philofophical Subject, which fhall have been read at the Society during the course of the feafon; to be determined by the Committee of Papers,

A

LIST OF THE MEMBERS.

Thomas Percival, M. D. F. R. S. & S. A.

Member of the Royal Societies of

Edinb. Paris, and Lyons; of the Acad. Prefident.

of Arts and Sciences; and of the

Philof. Soc. in America; &c.

Thomas Cooper, Efq.

Charles White, Efq. F. R. S. Honorary

Mem. R. M. S. & Cor. Mem. R. S. A.

in Scotland, &c. &c.

Mr. Thomas Henry, F. R. S.; of the Vice-Presidents.

Royal Phyfical Soc. of Edinb. and of

the American Philofoph. Society at

Philadelphia.

Mr. George Philips.

John