When any one is admitted, he pays a fee of five guineas, and afterwards 13s. a quarter, as long as he continues a member, towards defraying the expences of the society; and for the payment thereof he gives a bond; but most of the members on their first admittance chuse to pay down twenty guineas, which discharges them from any future payments.
Any Fellow may however free himself from these obligations, by only writing to the President, that he desires to withdraw from the society.
When the President takes the chair, the rest of the Fellows take their seats, and those who are not of the society withdraw: except any Baron of England, Scotland, and Ireland, any person of a higher title, or any of his Majesty’s Privy Council of any of his three kingdoms, and any foreigner of eminent repute, may stay, with the allowance of the President, for that time; and upon leave obtained of the President and Fellows present, or the major part of them, any other person may be permitted to stay for that time: but the name of every person thus permitted to stay, that of the person who moved for him, and the allowance, are to be entered in the journal book.
The business of the society in their ordinary meetings, is, to order, take account, consider and discourse of philosophical experiments and observations; to read, hear, and discourse upon letters, reports, and other papers, containing philosophical matters; as also to view and discourse upon the rarities of nature and art, and to consider what may be deduced from them, and how far they may be improved for use or discovery.
No experiment can be made at the charge of the society, but by order of the society or council. And in order to the propounding and making experiments for the society, the importance of such experiment is to be considered with respect to the discovery of any truth, or to the use and benefit of mankind.
The Philosophical Transactions are printed at the charge of the society, and the Clerk delivers gratis one of the copies to every Fellow of the Society who shall demand it, either in person, or by letter under the hand of such Fellow, within one year after the Clerk has begun to deliver such copies.
If any Fellow of the society shall contemptuously or contumaciously disobey the statutes or orders of the society; or shall by speaking, writing, or printing, publicly defame the society, or maliciously do any thing to the detriment thereof, he shall be ejected.
The meetings of the Royal Society are on Thursdays, at five o’clock in the afternoon.
The members of the Council are elected out of the Fellows, upon the feast of St. Andrew in the morning; when after the election they all dine together.
Eleven of the old council are chosen for the ensuing year; and ten are elected out of the other members. Then the President, Treasurer, and Secretary are elected out of these. But the same persons are usually rechosen into these offices.