BOOK REVIEW Moore, K., 1995. A Guide to the Archives and Manuscripts of the Royal Society. The Royal Society, London, 73 pp. Price £15.00 (UK), £16.50 (overseas). The Royal Society, London, founded in 1660 discussion. Minutes of the meetings of Council and granted its royal charter in 1662, is a prime from 1663 include records of discussions on example of the establishment of scientific societies activities, awards, funds and bequests, buildings established throughout Europe during the mid¬ and staff. The Letter Book Original (1661-1740) seventeenth century. The purpose of the Royal provides copies of letters received by the Society. Society was to investigate nature in the hope that The Society holds the originals of the three charters this would result in English industry becoming granted by Charles II (1662, 1663 and 1669), more profitable, competitive and efficient (Burke incorporating the Society and authorising its rights 1985). The Royal Society was not hampered by the and privileges. strict censorship that restricted kindred societies The International Relations Archive includes such as the Royal Academy of Sciences, Paris, correspondence and papers relating to the Royal where the theories of Rene Descartes were not Society’s relations with the International Council allowed to be discussed. of Scientific Unions (ICSU). Included within the It is scarcely surprising that the Royal Society Archive is material on the establishment of and in nearly 350 years of history has amassed, and scientific results from the Royal Society Base at is the guardian of, records and other archival Halley Bay, Antarctica. material that provides fundamental insights into Original manuscripts of Royal Society corres¬ the development of science in Great Britain and, pondence include the Early Letters (38 volumes indeed, western scientific thought in general. How¬ containing 4237 items) including material by Henry ever, for all the treasures contained within the Oldenburg, John Beale, John Flamsteed, Martin archives to be of maximum use they must be Lister, Isaac Newton, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, catalogued and accessible. Hence it is with a Christiaan Huygens, J. D. Cassini and Cotton considerable sense of welcome, that this volume Mather. A series of unpublished, or only ab¬ by Keith Moore (Royal Society Archivist 1986- stracted, papers from 1768-present are included 1990) with additions by Mary Sampson (Royal within the Archives. Society Archivist 1991- ) has been published. The largest and most diverse series of papers The Royal Society did not have an archivist until within the Archives are classified as Manuscripts 1950. As noted by Professor Alan Cowey frs in (General) and includes collections of documents the foreword to this Guide, the Archives of the donated, purchased or otherwise acquired from Royal Society were scattered throughout the outside sources. The range of this collection is large Society’s old premises in Burlington House but but includes administrative records, administrative with the move to Carlton House Terrace in 1967 correspondence, correspondence of Fellows and an opportunity for consolidation presented itself. other scientists (including William Buckland, The Guide consists of two main sections. John Flamsteed, John Burden Sanderson Haldane, Part one is a simple listing of the organisational Marcello Malpighi, Joseph Priestly, Edward cataloguing of the Archives and Manuscripts. Sabine, James Sowerby and Walter White) and Included are categories such as administrative selected manuscripts and notebooks by Fellows records, administrative correspondence, scientific such as the manuscript of Philosophiae Naturalis papers and correspondence, biographical records Principia Mathematica ... by Isaac Newton (1642- of Fellows, manuscript collections, collections 1727). of Fellows’ personal papers (pre-20th Century), Other significant archival collections include the collections of Fellows’ personal papers (20th correspondence of Robert Boyle (1627-1691) with Century), collections of artefacts and archives of seven volumes of letters, the Boyle Papers of forty- other organisations. Part two, the bulk of the six volumes, the Herschcl letters (in all 10 600 + Guide, is a short description of the main series and letters of the correspondence of Sir John Frederick it is here that we are able to obtain a glimpse of William Herschel frs, 1792-1871, astronomer and the wealth of material in the Archives. secretary of the Royal Society 1824-1827) and the The Journal Books contain the minutes of Smeaton Drawings (John Smeaton frs, 1724- ordinary meetings from 1660. Prior to the 19th 1792, civil engineer, the collection including work¬ Century, letters and papers read before the Society ing drawings for windmills, fire engines, bridges, are given in abstract and include any subsequent buildings, canal works and harbours and river 7 BOOK REVIEW 8 navigations). Additional collections include the the text and an index of persons and institutions. Bawden Papers (Sir Frederick Charles Bawden, The volume is logically presented in clear type and 1908-1972, plant pathologist), the Blackett Papers an added bonus are the illustrations which include (Patrick Maynard Stuart Blackett om, Baron a pen and ink drawing of Charles II, a sketch of Blackett of Chelsea, 1897-1974, nuclear physicist), Newton’s apple tree in 1840, the Great Melbourne the Dale Papers (Sir Henry Hallett Dale gbe, om, Telescope completed in 1867, sketches of Saturn 1875-1968, physiologist-pharmacologist), the Jeans by Christopher Wren and the portrait of Lord Papers (Sir James Hopwood Jeans OM, 1877- Howard Florey by Henry Carr. 1946, mathematician, physicist and astronomer) Keith Moore and Mary Sampson are to be and the Robinson Papers (Sir Robert Robinson congratulated on their description of the Archives om, 1886-1975, chemist) to name but a few. and Manuscripts of the Royal Society. The volume Probably the largest single collection of personal should be of great interest to scientists and tech¬ papers in the Society's care is the scientific and nologists, particularly to those with an interest in personal papers of Howard Walter Florey OM the history and philosophy of science, and should (Lord Florey of Adelaide, 1898-1968, experimental find its way into many an individual’s personal pathologist), consisting of 369 boxes or volumes library as well as institutional libraries. of material, 100 books from Florey’s library and 81 boxes of reprints and card files. REFERENCE The Archival collections of the Royal Society Burke, James, 1985. The Day the Universe Changed. also include museum objects and presentations, British Broadcasting Corporation, London, 352pp. such as a valuable collection of chronometers including examples of the work of Thomas Tompion (1639-1713) and John Arnold (1736?- 1799), medals, prints and portraits and busts. N. W. Archbold The Guide concludes with the regulations School of Aquatic Science and Natural Resources governing the use of the library and archives, Management guidelines on access to the archives of the Royal Deakin University Society, the Bibliography of works referred to in Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia