STATUTES

OF THE

MEDICAL

^ND

CHIRURGICAL SOCIETY

Eoji&oil

LONDON

PRINTED BY PHILLIPS AND PARDON*

GEORGE YARD, LOMBARD STREET.

1805.

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CHAPTER I. OF THE ELECTION AND ADMISSION OF MEMBERS.

CHAPTER II. OF THE OBLIGATION TO BE SUBSCRIBED.

CHAPTER III. OF THE PAYMENTS TO BE MADE BY THE MEMBERS.

CHAPTER IV. OF THE DEATH OR WITHDRAWING OF MEMBERS.

CHAPTER V. OF THE CAUSES AND FORMS OF EJECTION.

CHAPTER VI. OF THE ELECTION OF THE OFFICERS AND COUNCIL.

CHAPTER VII. OF THE PRESIDENT AND VICE-PRESIDENTS.

CHAPTER VIII. OF THE TREASURER AND HIS ACCOUNTS.

CHAPTER IX. OF THE SECRETARIES.

CHAPTER X. OF THE COUNCIL.

CPIAPTER XI. OF THE CLERK.

CHAPTER XII. OF THE SOCIETY’S PROPERTY.

CHAPTER XIII. OF ORDINARY MEETINGS OF THE SOCIETY.

CHAPTER XIV. OF GENERAL MEETINGS.

CHAPTER XV. OF EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETINGS.

CHAPTER XIV. OF DONATIONS TO THE SOCIETY.

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CHAPTER I.

OF THE ELECTION AND ADMISSION OF MEMBERS,

I. —Every Candidate for admission into the Society, shall be

proposed and recommended by three or more Members, who

fhall deliver to one of the Secretaries, a paper, figned by them-

felves, fpecifying the Chriftian and Surname of fuch perfon,

together with his rank in the profeffion, department of practice,

and ufual place of refidence, all which fhall be certified from their

perfonal acquaintance with him.

II. —Every recommendation fhall be hung up in the common

meeting room of the Society, for three fucceffive meetings, ex-

clufive of that on which it was prefented, and that on which

the ballot for election fhall take place.

III. —No perfon fhall be declared elected, unlefs he have in

his favour four-fifths of the members voting.

IV. —Every perfon elected a Member, fhall have immediate

notice of his Ele&ion fent to him, by one of the Secretaries ;

and fhall appear for his Admiffion, on or before the fourth

ordinary meeting of the Society after his Election ; or within

fuch further time as fhall be granted by the Council, on fpecial

application to them for that purpofe; otherwife his Election fhall

be void.

V. *—The admiffion of any Member into the Society, fhall be

at fome meeting thereof, in manner and form following, he.

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having firft paid the admiffion Fee, and fubfcribed the obligation;

viz. The Prefident, taking him by the hand, fhall fay thefe words :

“ I do, by the authority, and in the name of the Medical and

“ Chirurgical Society of London, admit you a Member thereof.”

VI. 1—The Election of every perfon into the Society, with the

time thereof, fhall be recorded in the Journal Book.

VII. —If it appear upon the ballot, that the perfon propofed is

not admitted a Member, no notice fhall be taken thereof in the

Minutes.

VIII. —Every Member who intends to propofe any perfon to

be a Member of the Society, fhall, before fuch perfon be propofed,

make known to him the nature of the obligation to be fubfcribed,

on the event of his being elected; and alfo the fum which is to

be paid for Admiffion Money, and the rate of annual payments

for the ufe of the Society.

IX. —Gentlemen who have eminently diftinguifhed themfelves

in fciences conne&ed with medicine, but who are not of the

Medical Profeffion, or do not praflife therein, fhall be eligible as

honorary Members.

X. —The number of honorary Members fhall be limited to

twelve.

XI. -—The propofition of any gentleman to be an honorary

Member, fhall be by a vote of the Council.

XII. —The Election of honorary Members fhall be conducted

in the fame manner as that of ordinary Members.

XIII. —Honorary Members fhall be entitled to all the privileges

of ordinary Members, except that of voting, and of holding any

office.

XIV. —No Election fhall take place at any other than ordinary

meetings of the Society.

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CHAPTER IT.

OF THE OBLIGATION TO BE SUBSCRIBED.

Every Perfon elected a Member of the Society, {hall, previous

to his admiffion, fubfcribe the following obligation.

“We whofe names are hereunto fubfcribed, do hereby promife,

“ each for himfelf, that we will, to the utmoft of our power, pro-

“ mote the honour and intereft of the Medical and Chirurgical

“ Society of London, and obferve the Statutes and Orders of the

“ faid Society. Provided that, whenfoever any of us {hall fignify

“ to the Prefident, in writing, that he defireth to withdraw

“ therefrom, he {hall be free from this Obligation for the future.”

And if any Perfon eleded {hall refufe to fubfcribe the faid

Obligation, the Eledion of that perfon {hall be void.

CHAPTER III.

OF THE PAYMENTS TO BE MADE BY THE MEMBERS.

I.—Every Perfon eleded a Member of the Society, {hall,

previous to his admiffion, pay to the ufe of the Society, the fum

of Six Guineas as an Admiffion Fee; and ffiall alfo further

contribute the fum of Three Guineas annually.

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II. —All yearly Contributions fhall be confidered payable at each

anniverfary Meeting, for the preceding year; but no Member

elected within four months of the anniverfary Meeting, fhall be

liable to pay his annual contribution, till the fecond anniverfary

from the time of his election.

III. —No Member fhall have the right of voting, or the ufe of

the library, who is more than one year in arrear; and if any

Member fhall negled to pay his annual Subfcription to the

Treafurer, or the perfon appointed by him, for two years after

it has become due, he fhall be liable to ejedion from the

Society; the Council firft giving fuch notice or notices of the

default, as they fhall think proper, according to the nature of the

cafe.

IV. —Such Gentlemen as have been eleded Members of the

Society, and do not live within twenty miles of the Metropolis,

fhall be confidered Members of the Society, without the form of

admiffion, on payment of the fum of Six Guineas, without

further annual contribution.

V. —But fhould fuch Gentlemen ever refide in the Metropolis,

they fhall contribute the ufual annual Subfcription like other

Members.

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CHAPTER IV. X

OF THE DEATH OR WITHDRAWING OF MEMBERS,

I. —The Death of any Member fhall be noticed by one of the

Secretaries in the printed lift of that year, and fhall be recorded

in the Journal Book at the next anniverfary Meeting.

II. '—No Member fhall be underftood to have withdrawn him-

felf from the Society, unlefs he fhall have fignified fuch his

intention by letter, under his hand, addrefled to the Prefident;

and if fuch letter be not left at the Houfe of the Society, previous

to the anniverfary Meeting, the contribution of fuch Member,

fhall be underftood to be continued for the whole of the year in

which he fhall have fo withdrawn himfelf.

CHAPTER V.

OF THE CAUSES AND FORMS OF EJECTION.

I.—If any Member of the Society fhall, contemptuoufly, or

contumacioufly, difobey the Statutes or Orders of the Society; or

fhall, by fpeaking, writing, or printing, publickly defame the

Society; or advifedly and malicioufly do any thing to the

damage, detriment or difhonour thereof; or fhall notorioufly

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degrade the refpedtability of the medical character; or fhall

not, after the due and regular notice mentioned in Chap. 3d.

Sedt. 3d. pay his annual contribution, he fhall be liable to be

ejedted out of the Society.

II.—Whenfoever there fhall be caufe, in the opinion of the

Council, for the ejection of any Member out of the Society, the

Frefident fhall, at a meeting of the Society fpecially fummoned,

propofe the ejection of fuch Member; which being put to the

ballot, and two-thirds of the Members prefent voting for it, the

Prefident fhall cancel his name in the Regifter, and at the fame

time pronounce him ejedted in thefe words.

Ci I do, by the authority, and in the name of the Medical and

w Chirurgical Society of London, declare A. B. to be ejedted, and

“ no longer a Member thereof.” And the ejedtion of every fuch

Perfon, fhall be then recorded in the Journal Book of the

Society; and his name, as ejedted, alfo read at the next anniver-

fary Meeting.

CHAPTER VI.

OF THE ELECTION OF THE OFFICERS AND COUNCIL.

I. —The Officers of the Society fhall be eledted annually, and

fhall confift of a Prefident, four Vice-Prefidents, a Treafurer, and

three Secretaries, one of whom fhall be foreign Secretary.

II. —The Officers of the Society, together with twelve other

Members, fhall conffitute the Council, and fhall have the manage¬

ment of the Society’s affairs.

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III. —No Member ffiall be eligible to the offices of Prefident or

Vice-Prefident for more than two years in fucceffion ; and no

Member ffiall be eligible to a place in the Council, till the expi-

ration of two years from the period of his having quitted either

of thofe offices.—This Statute is not however meant to render a

Member who has held the fituation of Vice-Prefident5 ineligible

to that of Prefident.

IV. '—At the fecond election of the Society, two of the Vice-

Prefidents (whofe names ffiall be determined by lot) ffiall go out

of office, and be replaced by two others, who ffiall be chofen

from the Society at large j and at each fucceeding anniverfary

election, the two Vice-Prefidents who ffiall have ferved in that

capacity for two years, ffiall of neceffity go out of office, and be

replaced by two other Members chofen from the Society at large.

Nothing however in this Sedion, ffiall affed the ift Sedion of

this Chapter, in which it is faid that the Officers ffiall be eleded

annually.

V. —Six of the twelve Members of the Council, who are not

Officers of the Society, ffiall go out by rotation annually, and

ffiall be replaced by fix other Members, to be chofen from the

Society at large. The firft fix who ffiall go out, to be deter¬

mined by lot.—But a Member who has thus quitted his feat

in the Council, ffiall neverthelefs retain his eligibility to any

office in the Society.

VI. —The anniverfary Meeting of the Society, for the eledion

of the Officers and other Members of the Council, ffiall be held

on the ill of March, unlefs that day ffiall happen to be on a

Sunday, in wffiich cafe it ffiall take place on the day following.

VII. —Every Member of the Society within the reach of the

Twopenny and Threepenny Poft, ffiall be fummoned to the

anniverfary Meeting, at leaft a week previous to the day on

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•which it {hall take place, by a letter figned by the Prefidcnt and

one of the Secretaries.

VIII. —-Within this Sammons {hall be inclofed a lift of the

Members of the Society, and alfo a lift of the Officers and Council

of the preceding year. In the latter, fuch names as go out by

rotation, or are ineligible by the Statutes of the Society, {hall be

noticed; and a fpace left for fupplying vacancies, or making fuch

alterations as may appear to any Member to be proper.

IX. —Each Member voting, {hall deliver his lift, folded up, to

the Prefident, Vice-Prefident, or fuch other perfon as may be in

the Chair; and the name of each Member who {hall fo deliver

in his lift, ffiall be marked off on a printed lift, by one of the

Secretaries.

X. —When the ballot ffiall have been clofed, the Prefident, or

perfon officiating in his ftead, ffiall appoint by lot, three Scruti¬

neers, not Members of the Council, to affift the Secretaries in

calling up the fuffrages. And when this ffiall have been done,

the Prefident ffiall declare the perfons who ffiall have the majority

of votes for the refpedive Offices, and alfo thofe who have been

elected to the vacant places in the Council.

XI. —The Chair fhall be taken at the anniverfary Meeting, at

fuch a time as ffiall be fixed upon by the Council, (the fame to

be previoufly inferted in the circular Summons) and the ballot

ffiall continue open for two hours.

XII. —In cafe of any doubt or difficulty arifing during an

Election, it {hall be determined by the majority of the Council

of the preceding year, who may happen to be prefent, in the way

which feems to them to be agreeable to right, and to the Statutes

of the Society.

XIII. —In cafe of any Members having an equal number of

fuffrages for an office, or place in the Council, the perfon to be

defied, lhall be determined bv lot. 7 d

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XIV.—In cafe of a vacancy in the Council, or among the

Officers of the Society, happening during the intervals of the

anniverfary ele&ions, the Council fhall appoint a fpecial general

meeting of the Society, for the purpofe of filling up fuch

vacancies; and the fummons for fuch meeting, and the proceed¬

ings at it, fhall, as far as circumRances will admit, be after the

fame manner, as is directed for the anniverfary Ele&ion.

CHAPTER VIE

OF THE PRESIDENT AND VICE-PRESIDENTS^

I. —The bufmefs of the Prefident fhall be to prefide at all the

Meetings, and to regulate all the proceedings of the Society and

Council; to Rate and put queRions, both in the affirmative and

negative, according to the fenfe and intention of the Meeting ;

to check irregularities, and to keep all pet Eons in order; to

fummon all extraordinary meetings of the Society or Council

upon any urgent occafion; and to execute, and fee to the

execution of, the. Statutes of the Society.

II. —The Prefident 'fhall take precedence of every Member of

the Society at their ordinary place of meeting ; and alfo in all

other places where any number of Members meet as a Society,

Council or Committee; and being in the Chair, is to be covered,

while fpeaking unto, or. hearing particular Members, notwith-

Randing their being uncovered.

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III.—-In the abfence of the Prefident, the Vice-Prefidents in

rotation, or in their abfence, the Treafurer, or fenior Member of

the Council, or of the Society prefent, fhall take the Chair, and

fhall do every fuch bufinefs, as the Prefident, when prefent, is

empowered to do by the Statutes of the Society.

CHAPTER Vin.

OF THE TREASURER AND HIS ACCOUNTS.

I. —THE Treafurer, or fome perfon appointed by him, fhall

receive, for the ufe of the Society, all fums of money due or

payable to the Society; and out of fuch money, fhall pay and

difburfe all fums of money which may be due from or payable

by the Society; and fhall keep particular accounts of all fuch

receipts and payments, in the way which may feem moft proper

to the Council.

II. —Every fum of money payable on account of the Society,

amounting to £5 or upwards, fhall be paid by order of the

Council, figned by the Prefident, and regiftered by one of the

Secretaries.

III. —All fums of money in the hands of the Treafurer, which

there fhall not be prefent occafion for expending, or otherwife

difpofing of for the ufe of the Society, fhall be laid out in fuch

government, or other fecurities, as fhall be approved of, and

directed by the Council.

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IV,—-The Treafurer fhall have and keep a book of printed cheek receipts for annual contributions; each receipt to be figned

by himfelf, and to be filled up with the name of the Member

paying, the fum paid, and the time paid to:, thefe receipts to be

underfigned by the perfon who fhall receive the money on the

Treafurer’s behalf, who, upon the delivery of the receipt to the

Member paying, is to enter upon that part of the check which

fhall be left in the book, the above particulars, and alfo the day

of payment.

And for the more punctual difpatch, and orderly arrangement

qf the bufinefs of the Society, the contributions fhall be paid as

nearly as poffible to the time when they become due.

VI. —The accounts of the Treafurer fhall be audited annually,

a fhort time previous to the general meeting mentioned in Chap.

13. Sedfc. 1. by a Committee, confiding of five Members of the

Council, (of whom the Prefident or one of the Vice-Prefidents,

and one of the Secretaries to be two) and of five Members of the

Society, not Members of the Council, who are to be nominated

by the Prefident, with the confent of the major part of the

Members prefent, given by ballot at one of the three next pre¬

ceding meetings: any two or more of the faid five Members of

the Council, together with any two or more of the faid five

Members not of the Council, fhall be a quorum of the faid

Committee.

VII. —The Members of the faid Committee, who may be of the

Council, fhall make their report to that meeting of the Council

which fhall be held next after fuch audit, on or before the day of

the General Meeting, and fhall, together with the Members of

the faid Committee who may not be of the Council, make their-

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report to the Society, upon the day of the faid General Meeting,

Rating not only the balance in the Treafurer’s hands, but alfo the

general Rate of the Funds of the Society.

CHAPTER IX.

OF THE SECRETARIES.

I. —The Secretaries fhall have infpedion over the Clerk, and

£hall have the management of the correfpondence of the Society

and Council. That of the foreign correfpondence, fhall particu¬

larly attach to the foreign Secretary.

II. —The Secretaries fhall attend at all meetings of the Society,

Council and Committees; where, when the Chair has been taken,

one of them fhall read the minutes, orders and entries of the pre¬

ceding meetings; and fhall afterwards take minutes of the bufinefs

and orders of the prefent meeting, to be entered in the proper

book.—The other fhall mention the prefents made to them fmce

the laft meeting, fhall give notice of any Candidate that Rands

propofed for election unto the Society at that meeting, and fhall

read the letters and papers prefented to the Society, in the order

of time in which they were received, unlefs. the Prefident fhall

otherwife direct.

III.—The Secretaries fhall have the charge, under the diredion

of the Council, of printing the Memoirs of the Society, and of

correding the prefs.

1$

CHAPTER X.

OF THE COUNCIL.

I. —The Council fhall have the management of the affairs of

the Society, and fhall appoint the Clerk and fuch other fervants

as may be neceffary, fhall fix their duty, and fufpend or remove

them ifi they fhould fee occafion. They fhall alfo determine

upon fuch fecurity as may be proper to be given by any Servant

of the Society.

II. —The Council fhall meet at the Houfe of the Society once

a month, or oftener fhould they fee occafion, three to be a quo¬

rum. Due notice of each meeting fhall be fent to every Member

of the Council.

III. —All queftions in the Council fhall be determined by vote,

or by ballot if demanded; and in cafe of an equality of votes,

the Prefident fhall have a fecond or cafting one.

IV. —The Council fhall form a Handing Committee, to deter¬

mine upon the propriety of publifhing, with the con fent of the

Author, fuch Papers as may have been read in the Society.

V. —They fhall be empowered to call unto their affiftance, any*

other Member of the Society, whom they may confider to be

well fkilled in any particular branch of Science, which fhall hap¬

pen to be the fubjed matter of any fuch paper ; and the perfons

fo called in to affifi, although not members of the Committee,

may give their votes on all papers to be confidered at any fuch

meeting, in the fame manner as the Members of the faid Com¬

mittee may do.

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VI. —-The method of proceeding upon the papers to be con-

fidered fhall be thus'The firft entry in the Minute Book of

the Society, relating to any Paper upon which the opinion of the

Council fhall not have been taken, fhall be read ; and if any

Member fhould defire it, the Paper itfelf fhall be read, but other-

wife only the minute relating thereto: after which, the queftion

fhall be put, and decided by ballot, whether that Paper fhall

be printed in the Memoirs of the Society. But if the number

of votes fhould be equal, the further confideration of the queftion

fhall be adjourned to the next meeting of the Council; when, on

a fecond balloting, if there ftill be an equality of votes, it fhall be

determined in the negative.

VII. —The Council fhall be a ftanding Committee for the

purchafe of Books.

VIII. —The Library fhall be regulated by fuch ftatutes, as

may hereafter be recommended by the Council, and approved by

the Society at large.

CHAPTER XL

OF THE CLERK.

I. —-The Clerk fhall live in, and have the care of the Society’s

Houfe, and of the Library and other Property contained in* it.

II. —He fhall a£t as Librarian; and fhall regularly collect the

Subfcriptions from the Members as they become due, and pay

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the fame to the Treafurer, or perfon whom he may appoint to

receive them, at fuch times as may be required. He fhali prepare

and tranfmit the fummonfes. He fhali always be in attendance

at Meetings of the Society and Council, and fhali copy their

Minutes into proper books. He fhali be fubje

CHAPTER XIII.

OF ORDINARY MEETINGS OF THE SOCIETY.

I. *—The ordinary Meetings of the Society, fhall be on fuch

days, and at fuch an hour, as the Council may deem advifabl'e;

but before the times of meeting be finally fettled, it fhall be necef-

fary for the opinion of the Society to be taken thereupon.

II. —Each Member of the Society fhall have the privilege of

introducing a Stranger at every ordinary Meeting, on delivering

his name to the Prefident, or perfon acting in his Read: and the

name of every ftranger, fo introduced, fhall be entered in the

Minute Book.

III. —The bufinefs of the Society at their ordinary Meetings,

fhall be to converfe upon profeffional fubjeds, and to read and

hear Letters, Reports, and other Papers on Medicine, or any of

its branches. Written communications, however, fhall not be

fubjed to difcuffion.

IV. —At the ordinary Meetings of the Society, nothing relating

to its laws or management fhall ever be brought forward;, ex¬

cept, where the Statutes of the. Society, may, for particular

reafons, order otherwise.

V. —At ordinary Meetings, five fhall be a quorum; but tern

fhall be necefiary for the Eledion of Members.

CHAPTER XIV.

OF GENERAL MEETINGS.

I. —Besides the Anniverfary Meeting for the Election of

Officers, there fhall be another General Meeting held annually,

for the enactment or repeal of Statutes, and for receiving the

Report of the Council and Auditors on the Rate of the Society’s

affairs. This Meeting fhall be on fome day to be fixed by the

Council, which day fhall be at leaft one month previous to the

Anniverfary Meeting for the Election of Officers. But whenever

it fhall happen, that there is no bufinefs to be brought before fuch

Meeting, except the Report of the Council and Auditors, then

it fhall be lawful for the Council (if it appear expedient to them)

to defer prefenting the faid Report, till the day of the Anniverfary

Meeting for the Eledion of Officers and Council.

II. —The making of new, and altering of old Regulations,

fhall be firll propofed in Council; and fuch new Statutes, or

alterations of old ones, if approved, and the approbation con¬

firmed at a fubfequent Meeting of the Council, fhall be recom¬

mended by them for adoption to the General Meeting ordered

in the laft fedion, or to fuch fpecial General Meeting as they

may think proper to call: and if two-thirds of the Members

voting (ten being prefent) ballot in favour of the faid new

Statutes, or alterations in the old ones, the fame fhall be declared

to be the law of the Society accordingly. But no alteration fhall

be made in the proportion of Members neceffary for eleding ;

or in the Statutes relating to the eledion, or payments of Mem¬

bers, or to the Officers and Council, but by the concurrence of

three-fourths of the Members voting.

III.*—Any three Members, who are not of the Council, may

recommend any new Laws, or the repeal or alteration of any

old one, to the Council, by a letter directed to one of the Secre¬

taries. On the fuggeftions thus made, the Council fhall come to

a decifion at their firft meeting; and if fuch decifion fhall not

be fatisfa&ory to the Members propofmg the fuggeftions offered,

the Council, if required, fhall, at the firft General Meeting for

the repeal or enactment of Statutes, (mentioned in the lft

Section of this Chapter), bring the fame forward, with their

decifion thereupon, for the opinion of the Society at large.

CHAPTER XV.

OF EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETINGS.

I.—The Prefidentand Council may, at any time, call an extra¬

ordinary General Meeting of the Society, when it feems to them

to be neceffary; giving at leaft one week’s notice to every Member

of the Society, living within reach of the twopenny and three¬

penny poft, of the period of meeting, and the bufinefs for which

it is fummoned; and no bufinefs fhall be entered upon at fuch

Meeting, except what has been fo notified.

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CHAPTER XVI.

OF DONATIONS TO THE SOCIETY.

I. —Every Perfon who fhall prefent Books, Money, or other

property to the Society, fhall be confidered a Benefactor thereof.

II. —His name, with the mention of his gift, fhall be recorded

in the book of Benefactions, fhall be read at the Anniverfary

Meeting, and fhall be inferted in the firft volume of the Memoirs

of the Society thereafter publifhed.

III. —Such Books as may be prefented to the Society, fhall

have the donor’s name inferted in them.

FINIS,

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London: printed by Phillips b5 Fardon, Ceorge Yard, Lombard Street.

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