The Council of the Royal Society, in the exercise of the power conferred on them, have awarded the Keith Medal to Professor Boole of Cork, for his Memoir “On the Application of the Theory of Probabilities to the Question of the Combination of Judgments or Testimonies,” printed in the Society's Transactions of last Session.

In conferring this medal, in the name of the Council, it may reasonably be expected that I should say a few words on each of two different heads—first, the person on whom the medal is conferred; secondly, the paper, which has appeared to the Council worthy of the award. And I admit that I ought not to decline to fulfil the expectation after some sort. I shall accordingly offer some remarks on these separate topics.