Sioussat, St. George L. The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society in the Libraries of William Byrd of Westover, Benjamin Franklin, and The American Philosophical Society. From Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Volume 93, Number 2. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1949.

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Excerpt:

"In a large sense, the evolution of 'philosophical' societies in the seaboard cities of the British Colonies in America may be thought of as part of a general development in western Europe. But preeminently it was the Royal Society of London to which Americans looked for inspiration and example in their efforts to emulate their old world brethren in the promotion of useful knowledge ...."