Oeuvres complètes. Tome VII. Correspondance 1670-1675

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N^o 2077.
La Societé Royale de Londres et H. Oldenburg.
1676.
Appendice III au No. 2074¹⁾.

A Declaration of the Council of the Royal Society, passed Novemb. 20. 1676; relating to some Passages in a late Book of Mr. Hooke entituled Lampas, &c.²⁾.

Whereas the Publisher of the Philosophical Transactions hath made complaint to the Council of the Royal Society of some Passages in a late Book of Mr. Hooke entituled Lampas, &c. and printed by the Printer of the said Society, reflecting on the integrity and faithfulness of the said Publisher in his management of the Intelligence of the said Society: This Council hath thought fit to declare in the behalf of the Publisher aforesaid, That they knew nothing of the Publication of the said Book; and further, That the said Publisher hath carried himself faithfully and honestly in the management of the Intelligence of the Royal Society, and given no just cause of such Reflections.

The Council having thus justified the Publisher; he shall only add that part of a Letter, written to him by M. Christian Hugens de Zulichem the 20^th of Februar. 1675, which relates to the taking out a Patent of his, the said M. Hugens's Invention; and then let the world judge of the Postcriber's accusation about an endeavour of defrauding him of his Contrivance: The words of the said Letter, Englished, are these:

For the rest, Sir, if you believe, that a Priviledge (so he calls a Patent) in England would be worth something, and that either the Royal Society or You

1) La pièce a été publiée dans les Phil. Trans. N^o. 129, du 30 novembre 1676 [V. st.].
Au sujet de cette déclaration officielle de la Société royale et de la publication d'une partie de la lettre de Chr. Huygens à H. Oldenburg (la Lettre N^o. 2013), Birch rapporte ce qui suit (History, T. III, p. 321):
‘Upon the debate concerning a scandalous postscript annexed to a book called Lampas, it was ordered, that it be referred to Dr. Croune and Mr. Hill, to present a draught to the council of what they conceived might be fit for the council to publish in the next Transaction in behalf of Mr. Oldenburg's integrity and faithfulness to the Royal Society.
At the same time leave was given to Mr. Oldenburg to print that part of Mons. Huygens's letter to him, 20th February, 1674/5, which devolves on the Royal Society his right of desiring in England a patend for his watches’.

2) Voir la pièce N^o. 2076, et la note 1 de cette pièce.

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might make some advantage thereof, I willingly offer you all I there might pretend to.

So, that if there was a desire in the Publisher to take out a Patent, it was for no other contrivance, but M. Hugens's formerly sent to the Royal Society, and printed in Numb. 112. of these Transactions.