Of the Election of the Council and Officers

STATUTES OF CHAPTER VI. Of the Election of the Council and Officers. I. At the two ordinary meetings of the Society, which shall be within the fifteen days next preceding the day of the anniversary elections, the President shall give notice of the said Elections; and declare, how much it importeth the good of the Society, that such persons may be chosen into the Council, as are most likely to attend the meetings and business of the Council, out of whom there may be made the best choice of a President and other Officers. II. Every Fellow of the Society, in or near London, or within the reach of the penny-post, and whose residence is known to the Clerk, shall be called to the anniversary meetings, for electing the Council and Officers for the year ensuing, by particular summons signed by the President; which summons shall be sent to the house or lodging of every such Fellow, a week at the least before the said day, together with printed lists of the names of the Fellows of the Society. And the said summons shall be to this effect. These are to give notice, that on the day of being the Council and Officers of the Royal Society are to be elected for the year ensuing; at which Election your presence is expected, at of the clock in the III. For III. For the anniversary Election of the Council (which is to consist of eleven Members of the present Council, to be continued for the year next ensuing; and ten of the Fellows, being no Members of the Council, to be added to them), there shall be a competent number of lists printed of all the Fellows of the Society (excepting all the Members of the present Council), in an alphabetical order; and a competent number of the like lists of all the Members of the present Council; both which lists shall be distributed to all the Fellows of the Society, present at the Anniversary Election. IV. For the Election of the eleven Members of the present Council, to be continued for the year next ensuing, every Fellow shall on the printed list of the present Council, by a line drawn under each name, to the number of eleven and no more, signify the persons, to whom he giveth his suffrage for their continuance, as aforesaid: and closing up the said list shall deliver it in to some person, appointed to collect and receive the same. V. All the lists being thus collected, one of the Secretaries shall open them one by one, and in the first place shall take notice of the number of the names distinguished, as is before prescribed, in each list (which if it be above eleven in any, the same list shall be laid aside, and no notice taken of the suffrages therein), and shall recite every name so distinguished; and the other Secretary shall, in a list for that purpose, note how often every several name is recited; and each of the Secretaries shall be assisted by a Scrutator, to be drawn by lot by the President. This done, the Secretaries and Scrutators shall sum up the suffrages, according to the notes affixed to every name; or in case of the absence of one or both the Secretaries, one or two Scrutators more (to be in like manner drawn by lot) shall supply their places; whereof two shall be employed in the perusal of the lists, and recital of the names, and the other two in the noting of the names recited, as is before prescribed. VI. After the noting and summing up of the votes, the Secretaries, or Scrutators, shall recite all the names of the present Council having any votes upon the present Scrutiny, with the number of the votes to every name; to the end, that all the persons carrying the major part of the votes may be known be to thus elected, if they be not more in number than eleven. But if the persons having the majority of votes be more than eleven, he or they that shall have the fewest suffrages, shall be secluded, until the number be reduced to eleven; or to a lesser number, if equality between persons having the fewest suffrages do so require. And if the persons having the majority of votes, or the persons remaining upon the aforesaid reduction, shall not amount to the number of eleven, then all the rest upon that list shall be put to the scrutiny again, and every Fellow shall mark, as before, so many, and no more, as are wanting; and the proceeding thereupon in all things shall be the same as before, until the number be compleat. And in case of equal distribution of votes, the number being greater than the number wanting, the proceeding shall be repeated upon the said persons; and if then they still have equal votes, the President shall exclude one by lot, and the rest shall be put to the scrutiny again. VII. For VII. For the Election of the ten Fellows not of the present Council, to be added to the former eleven, to constitute the Council for the year next ensuing, the proceedings upon the printed lists of the Fellows of the Society shall be in all particulars observed, as upon the former lists, according as the cases shall require. VIII. In case of seclusion of any member of the present Council, or of any other Fellow by lot, the same person shall be brought in again to pass the scrutiny, by putting him in competition with one that hath the least, or with more of those that have the least equal number of votes. IX. Forasmuch as the possible varieties in the equalities and proportions of suffrages distributed among several persons, upon which Non-elections may happen, are so great and manifold, that it would be tedious to obviate them all in particular Statutes: if therefore any case shall happen not provided for, whereupon the Election cannot be made or perfected, the same shall be adjourned to the next convenient time; and the Council in the interim shall make provision, and offer some expedient to the Society for the effecting thereof. X. For electing the President, Treasurer, and Secretaries, every Fellow present at the anniversary Election of the Council shall, after the Election made for the Members of the new Council, put upon a distinct list several marks, first for for the President, next for the Treasurer, and then for the Secretaries, to be chosen severally out of the said new Council, for the year ensuing; and the proceedings therein shall be after the same manner, as is directed for the anniversary Elections of the Council. XI. Whereas the number of the Members of the Royal Society is so large, as to render the Election of the Council and Officers so tedious, that many Members cannot attend during the whole time: therefore any Fellow being present shall be permitted, on the day appointed, during the time of the Society's sitting for Election, to give in his three lists altogether, or any two, or one of them; the several lists being marked, one with a line drawn under each name of the eleven Members of the present Council, to be continued for the year ensuing; another marked in the same manner with the names of the ten Fellows not of the present Council, to be added to the former eleven; and a third marked with the several marks for the President, for the Treasurer, and for the two Secretaries. And the Secretaries and Scrutators shall put the said lists into the several boxes provided for that purpose, and shall note down the name of each Fellow giving in his lists, and take notice, whether he gives in one, two, or all three lists, at the same time. In all other respects to proceed in the same manner as prescribed by the former Statutes. XII. For electing any Member of the Council, or any Officer to be elected by the Society, upon such vacancies as shall shall happen in the intervals of the anniversary Elections, the summons for such Election, and the proceedings in it, shall be after the same manner as is directed for the anniversary Elections. XIII. Upon the vacancy of the President's place, which shall happen in the intervals of the anniversary Elections, the Treasurer, or in his absence one of the Secretaries, shall cause the Council to be summoned for the Election of a new President; and the Council meeting thereupon in the usual place, or any eleven or more of them, shall proceed to the said Election, and not separate until the major part of the number aforesaid shall have agreed upon a new President.