Minutes of meeting, 19 May 1791
Reference code
SAL/02/024/017
Title
Minutes of meeting, 19 May 1791
Date
19/5/1791
Level of description
Item
Scope and content
The following Fellows were recommended for election: Richard Muilman Trench Chiswell and Samuel Solly.
The following Fellows were elected: Thomas Northmore, Charles Turner and Caleb Whitefoord.
The following Fellow was admitted to the Society: Henry Norton Willis.
First numbers of Views and Antiquities of Gloucestershire ["Etchings of Views and Antiquities in the County of Gloucester, Hitherto Imperfectly, or Never Engraved"; London: printed by A. Strahan, 1791] were presented by the author [Samuel Lysons].
Reading of William Myers’ account of the situation of town and harbour of Orwell in Suffolk, provided by Thomas Astle, resumed. Grounds for his conclusion that land about Felixstowe previously extended further into the sea than now were consistent not only with tradition but also with deeds and grants to the Corporation of Ipswich.
Richard Gough (Director) communicated Rev. George North’s letter to the Earl of Morton [1766] on old dates and numerals, observing that, next to printing, no invention was of more extensive use than that of numeral figures or cyphers [e.g. Cistercian numerals], albeit their origin was unclear. Suppositions of 6th Century use by Boethius and 10th Century use by Gerbert of modern style, non-Roman, numerals was not sustainable. Also, Arabians in the same period knew mathematical definitions and axioms but not arithmetic enumeration. Epistles between Gerbert (Pope Silvester II) and Adelbold contained only Roman numeral letters; an unavailable arithmetical reference mentioned by publisher, Masson, would probably not have revealed more. Further consideration of this paper was postponed.
The following Fellows were elected: Thomas Northmore, Charles Turner and Caleb Whitefoord.
The following Fellow was admitted to the Society: Henry Norton Willis.
First numbers of Views and Antiquities of Gloucestershire ["Etchings of Views and Antiquities in the County of Gloucester, Hitherto Imperfectly, or Never Engraved"; London: printed by A. Strahan, 1791] were presented by the author [Samuel Lysons].
Reading of William Myers’ account of the situation of town and harbour of Orwell in Suffolk, provided by Thomas Astle, resumed. Grounds for his conclusion that land about Felixstowe previously extended further into the sea than now were consistent not only with tradition but also with deeds and grants to the Corporation of Ipswich.
Richard Gough (Director) communicated Rev. George North’s letter to the Earl of Morton [1766] on old dates and numerals, observing that, next to printing, no invention was of more extensive use than that of numeral figures or cyphers [e.g. Cistercian numerals], albeit their origin was unclear. Suppositions of 6th Century use by Boethius and 10th Century use by Gerbert of modern style, non-Roman, numerals was not sustainable. Also, Arabians in the same period knew mathematical definitions and axioms but not arithmetic enumeration. Epistles between Gerbert (Pope Silvester II) and Adelbold contained only Roman numeral letters; an unavailable arithmetical reference mentioned by publisher, Masson, would probably not have revealed more. Further consideration of this paper was postponed.
Creator
Society of Antiquaries of London
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