cientific Authors of old
date.

_The Handel Society_ was founded at London in 1844, for the
purpose of printing the Works of Handel in full score.
Sixteen volumes were issued, and in 1858 the Society was
dissolved, the German Handel Society resuming the
publication.

_The Hanserd Knollys Society_ was instituted in 1845 for the
publication of the works of early English and other Baptist
writers, and one of these was an edition of Bunyan's Pilgrim
Progress from the text of the first edition. The Society was
dissolved about 1851.

_The Caxton Society_ was instituted in 1845 for the
publication of Chronicles and other writings hitherto
unpublished, illustrative of the history and miscellaneous
literature of the middle ages. This Society was formed on a
somewhat original basis. The members were to pay no annual
subscription, but they engaged to purchase one copy of all
books published by the Society. The expense of printing and
publishing to be defrayed out of the proceeds of the sale,
and the money remaining over to be paid to the editors.

_The Cavendish Society_ was instituted in 1846 for the
promotion of Chemical Science by the translation and
publication of valuable works and papers on Chemistry not
likely to be undertaken by ordinary publishers. During its
last years the Society existed for the publication of
Gmelin's voluminous "Handbook of Chemistry," and when this
work was completed, with a general Index, the Society ceased
to exist.

_The Ecclesiastical History Society_ was instituted in 1846,
and one of its early publications was the first volume of
Wood's "Athenae Oxoniensis," edited by Dr. Bliss, but this
only contained the life of Anthony Wood himself. The Society
was dissolved in 1854, after publishing the Book of Common
Prayer according to a MS. in the Rolls Office, Dublin (3
vols.), and sundry other works.

_The Hakluyt Society_, named after Richard Hakluyt (born
1553, died 1616), was founded at the end of 1846 for the
purpose of printing the most rare and valuable Voyages,
Travels and Geographical Records, from an early period of
exploratory enterprise to the circumnavigation of Dampier.
The first two volumes ("Sir Richard Hawkins's Voyage into
the South Sea, 1593," and "Select Letters of C