The correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller: ¶ Your sub-committee, appointed at the meeting held on the 17th of June 1854, at the Museum of Natural History, for the purpose of preparing the prospectus, and rules and regulations of the Society, ...

Document information

Physical location:

MS 11663 Royal Society of Victoria records, vol. 1 Council minutes, La Trobe Australian Manuscripts Collection, State Library of Victoria, Melbourne. 54.06.24

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to the Philosophical Society of Victoria, 1854-06-24. R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora, J.H. Voigt and Monika Wells (eds), Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, <https://vmcp.rbg.vic.gov.au/id//letters/1850-9/1854/54-06-24-final.odt>, accessed June 9, 2026

Your sub-committee, appointed at the meeting held on the 17th of June 1854, at the Museum of Natural History, for the purpose of preparing the prospectus, and rules and regulations of the Society,

The report was commissioned at a meeting of the Victorian Philosophical and Literary Society on 17 June 1854, the sub-committee comprising R. Eades, D. Wilkie, F. Mueller, S. Hannaford, F. C. Christy and S. Wekey. The report was read and adopted at the next meeting of the by then renamed Philosophical Society of Victoria, held on 24 June 1854, and is dated accordingly.

beg to report, that, having taken into consideration, the establishment of this Society, they propose,

That this Society be incorporated by royal Charter and be named, "the Royal Society of Victoria."

Permission to use the title 'Royal' was not granted until 1859. See Transactions of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria , vol. 4 (1860), pp. liv-lvi.

That the objects of the Society will be carried out, by original researches conducted by the members, and by original papers to be read at the periodical meetings and published under the direction of the Society.

That the Office bearers of the Society shall consist of a President, one or more Vice Presidents, Treasurer, and Secretary; all of them to be elected annually.

That the subscription be three guineas for the present year, without an entrance fee; and after the 1st of January 1855, there be an entrance fee of two guineas

Your committee beg further to report that Mr Wekey has kindly prepared a code of bye laws and regulations of which they generally approve, but until the establishment of the Society, do not consider necessary the adoption of any further rules.