ROYAL SOCIETY.

His Royal Highness the Duke of SUSSEX attended at a Council of the Royal Society, held at Somerset House, on Thursday last, and took the oaths prescribed by the Charter, on his installation into the office of Pre.. sident of the Society, into which he had been; elected at the late anni-

versary meeting. In the evening, he presided at the meeting ; which was exceedingly

crowded. The reading of the minutes —which included not only those of the last meeting of the preceding session, and the abstract of Mr. Ed- mund Davy's paper on the detection of metallic poisons by an electro- chemical process, but also those of the anniversary meeting of the 30th of November—occupied a considerable time; as the latter minutes contained the whole of the discourse of the late President, Mr. Davies Gilbert, on the merits of the members who were deceased since the preceding anni- versary, and also on the occasion of the delivery of the two Royal medals,— the one to Dr. Brewster, for his important researches on the Polarization of Light, and the other to M. Balard, of Montpelier, for his discovery of the new chemical element, which he has denominated Brame, or

Bromine.

The Rev. Joseph Bosworth was admitted, and Henry Percy Gordon, Esq., M.A. and the Rev. John Warren, were by ballot elected Fellows of the Royal Society. In compliance with a new regulation, notice was given that at a subs sequent meeting the following noblemen, being Peers of the realm, would be proposed for immediate ballot—namely, Lord Selkirk and Lord Jermyn. A paper was then read, entitled" On the Performance of Fluid Re. fracting Telescopes;and on the applicability of this principle of Construe.. non to very large instruments :" by Peter Barlow, FsR.S., Corresponding Member of the Institute of France, of the Imperial Academy of St. Petersburg, &c. This paper forms a sequel to those published in the Philosophical Transactions for 1827 and 1829, on the employment of fluid lenses for the construction of telescopes.

The following is a correct list of the Officers and Council of the Boyd Society elected oil the 30th of November.

PRESIDENT. Henry Ellis, Esq.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex, Michael Faraday, Esq. K.G. Colonel Fitzclarence.

Davies Gilbert, Esq. Captain Henry Kater. Viscqunt Melville. Sir George isturrav, Bart. Rev. George Peacock.

Sir Robert Peel, Bart.

Alexander P. Wilson Philip, M.D. John Pond, Esq. George Rennie, Esq. Nathaniel A. Vigors, Esq.

TREASURER.

John William Lubbock, Esq.

SECRETARIES.

Peter Mark Beget, M.D. John George Children, Esq.

OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL.

Peter Barlow, Esq. John Barrow, Esq. William Cavendish, Esq. SirjAstley Cooper, Bart.