134 HISTORY OF [1780—85.
dian mark for a portable transit instrument in one ofthe windows of the ante-room 6 .
One of the earliest purposes to which new Somer-set House was applied, was for the exhibition ofpaintings by the Royal Academy ; to whom wereallotted apartments in the west portion of that partof the building towards the Strand, which are nowdevoted to the School of Design, and the Universityof London. The Royal Academicians appear to havebeen highly pleased with this mark of their Sove-reign’s favour. At their festival an appropriate odewas sung, which, however, is more remarkable for itsloyalty than poetic merit, as the following verse tes-tifies :—
“ Let Science hail this happy year,
Let Fame its rising glories sing;
When Arts unwonted lustre wear,
And boasts a patron in their King:
And here unrivall’d shall they reign,
For George protects the polish’d train.”
The first public exhibition was opened on the 1stMay, 1780 7 . On the 30th November, in the sameyear, the Royal Society , as has been stated, heldtheir Anniversary in their new Meeting-room, a repre-sentation of which is annexed ; on which occasion SirJoseph Banks , in his capacity of President, openedhis address by an allusion to the sentiments awakenedby the removal:—
“ The emotions,” he said, “ of gratitude inspired by