before the present number of seven hundred and
fourteen can be reduced to those limits by the course of nature, and as
it would be prejudicial to the interests of the Society and of science,
that no fresh accessions should take place during that long period, your
Committee would further recommend, that till that event takes place,
four new members should be annually admitted.

With respect to the manner of admission, your Committee are of opinion,
that there are several inconveniences in the present mode of proceeding
to a single ballot upon each certificate, according to its seniority.
If the above limitation should be adopted, it may be presumed, that for
every vacancy there will be many candidates; from amongst them, it must
be the general wish to select the most distinguished individuals; but to
accomplish this, if the present system were to be continued, it would
be necessary to reject all those candidates whose certificates were of
earlier date than theirs; a process not only extremely irritating,
but probably ineffectual from the want of unanimity. Your Committee,
therefore, most earnestly recommend, that one general election should
take place every year towards the end of the session, and that this
should be conducted on the same principles as the present annual
election of the Council and officers; VIZ. by having lists printed of
all the candidates (whose certificates had been suspended for the usual
time,) in which lists each Fellow would mark the requisite number of
persons.

As the charter, however, requires the concurrence of two-thirds of the
Fellows present, your Committee suggest, that after the choice has been
determined by the plurality of votes by ballot in the above manner, the
successful candidates should be again submitted to a general vote, in
accordance with the enactments of the said charter.

In concluding this part of the subject, your Committee beg leave
to remark, that by the method now proposed, the invidious act of
blackballing would cease, and with it all feelings of resentment and
mortification; as the result of such an open competition could only be
construed by the public into a fair preference of the superior claims of
the successful few, and not into a direct and disgraceful rejection of
the others.

Your Committee are fully aware, that such a reduction in the usual
admissions would materially affect the pecuniary resources of the
Society; but they are at the same time convinced