Of the Election and Admission of Fellows

STATUTES OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY. CHAPTER I. Of the Election and Admission of Fellows. I. No person shall be proposed, elected, or admitted a Fellow of the Society upon St. Andrew's day, or the day of the anniversary meeting for electing the Council and Officers. II. Every Fellow, that is to propose any person as a candidate, in order to election, shall, before the said person be proposed, make known to him the effect of the obligation to be subscribed, and the sum that is to be paid for admission money, and the rate of the Annual payments, or the sum to be paid in lieu of annual payments, for the occasions of the Society. III. Every person to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, shall be proposed and recommended at a meeting of the Society by three or more Members; who shall then deliver to one of the Secretaries a paper, signed by themselves, specifying the name, rank, profession, qualifications, and the usual usual place of residence of such person; all which shall be certified from their personal acquaintance with him, or with his writings. A fair copy of which paper, with the date of the day when delivered, shall be fixed up in the common meeting room of the Society at ten several ordinary meetings, before the said candidate shall be put to the Vote: saving and excepting, that it shall be free for every one of His Majesty's subjects, who is a Peer, or son of a Peer, of Great Britain or Ireland, and for every one of his Majesty's Privy Council of either of the said kingdoms; and for every Foreign Sovereign Prince, or the son of a Sovereign Prince, or an Ambassador to the Court of Great Britain, to be proposed by any single Member, and to be put to the Vote for Election on the same day, there being present twenty-one members at the least, being the competent number for making Elections. IV. In the Election of a person for a Fellow of the Society, the votes shall be taken by ballot, and no person shall be declared elected, unless he have in his favour two thirds of the numbers voting. V. Every person, elected a Fellow, shall appear for his admission on or before the fourth ordinary meeting of the Society, after his Election; or within such further time as shall be granted by the Society or Council, upon cause shewed to either of them: otherwise his Election shall be void. VI. The VI. The Admission of any Fellow into the Society shall be at some meeting thereof, in manner and form following; he having first subscribed the obligation in the Charter book. The President, taking him by the hand, shall say these words: *I do, by the authority, and in the name, of the Royal Society of London for improving natural knowledge, admit you a Fellow thereof.* VII. The Election, and also the payment and admission of every person into the Society, with the time thereof, shall be recorded in the Journal-book. VIII. No one of his Majesty's subjects, or any other person residing in his Majesty's Dominions, who shall be elected a Fellow of the Society, shall be deemed an actual Fellow thereof; nor shall the name of any such person be printed in the annual List of the Fellows of the Society, until such person shall have paid his Admission Fee, and given the usual bond for the payment of contributions, or paid the sum appointed in lieu of such contributions: But that, upon such payment, or giving Bond as aforesaid, it shall be lawful for the Society to give leave for the name of such person, so elected as aforesaid, to be entered in the Journal-book, and printed in the list of the Society: Provided always, that no such person shall have liberty to vote at any Election or meeting of the Society, before he shall have been admitted. Any person residing in foreign parts, and not a subject of the British Dominions, who is desirous of becoming a Fellow of this Society, shall have a certificate drawn up in his favour, specifying his Christian name, surname, works, quality or profession, with his place of residence, and signed by, at least, three Fellows of the Society upon the Foreign list; who shall in such certificate attest, of their personal knowledge, that such Candidate, by his Philosophical learning and abilities, is duly qualified, and likely to become an useful Member of the Society: and every such candidate shall also have a certificate signed by, at least, three Fellows on the Home list, who shall attest the preceding qualifications either of their own personal knowledge, or from the works or correspondence of such Candidate. Such certificates so signed, after having been presented to the President in the chair, and read to the Society, shall be fixed up in their publick meeting room, and continue there from the 30th day of November to the 30th day of May next following; and the Names of such Foreigners shall be read at the weekly meetings of the Society, during the said term, as often as the President shall direct. And at the weekly meeting of the Society, on, or next after, the 30th of May, annually, the number of Foreigners thus recommended shall be proposed to the Society for election, and put to the ballot. Provided always that this Regulation shall not extend to Sovereign Foreign Princes or their Sons (who, being proposed, shall be put to the ballot immediately) nor to such Foreigners who being at the time resident, or having been resident for the space of six months in Great Britain, shall desire to be elected into the Society, in the same manner, and upon the same conditions, with the home-members, paying their admission fees and composition money.