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The manuscript versions of papers published by the Royal Society in the 'Philosophical Transactions'. The series has many points of interest, which include authors' corrections to manuscripts, and the presence of original illustrations in various media (drawings, watercolours and photographs) bound in the volumes. Not all of the material printed in the 'Philosophical Transactions' relating to Society business survives, but manuscript examples of meteorological observations, lists of presents and annual indexing may be found in volumes 8, 9 and 12.
Papers are usually bound into vellum-covered volumes by year of publication, although a few (volumes 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 17, 73-75) are loose, boxed items. Several gaps appear in the collection, notably for the period 1825-1839 (volumes 18-22) and any year may lack one or more papers; these omissions are noted at the beginning of each part. Despite this, the series constitutes a large, relatively complete run.

A small collection of photostats or photocopies of manuscripts held in other institutions, but of some relevance to the Royal Society and its own Archives. The series largely consists of groups of correspondence, notable letters to Julius Plucker (PH.1) letters of Hevelius, Newton and Flamsteed (PH.2) and of Edmond Halley (PH.3) There are some records of other institutions, including a minute book of the Physiological Society 1876-1892 (PH.9), and copies of Rutherford's correspondence at the Cavendish Laboratory.