[Taxacom] Society meetings

[Richard Petit]

Can anyone advise a source describing the conduct of the meetings of scientific societies in the mid 1850s?  

Did members sit around while papers were read?  I cannot imagine sitting through the reading of Latin "Descriptions of eight-nine new species of Mitra" (or even if read in English)!  Were such descriptive papers generally read in full or were draft copies distributed to the members in attendance and a summary then read (with any expceptional taxa being discussed in more detail)?  

Citations to appropriate literature would be appreciated.

dick
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Richard E. Petit
r.e.petit at att.net