874 Royal Irish Academy, 



It seems possible, that in each of the three great divisions of 

 science already enumerated, our Transactions may be enriched in 

 future, through a judicious system of rewards, (of the kinds to 

 which I lately alluded,) intended to encourage contributions of a 

 more elaborate kind than usual, from strangers as well as from 

 members of our body. It has appeared, for example, to some 

 members of your Council, and to me, that for each of those three 

 divisions of science a triennial prize might be given ; these three 

 triennial prizes succeeding each other in such rotation, for mathe- 

 matics, physics, and physiology, that a prize should be awarded 

 every year, on some one principal class of scientific subjects, for 

 the best essay which had been communicated for publication, on 

 any subject of that class, whether by a member or by a stranger, 

 during the three preceding years. A plan of this sort has been 

 lately tried, and (it would seem) with advantage, in the distribu- 

 tion of the Royal Medals entrusted by the late King* to the Royal 

 Society of London ; and the principle is not unsanctioned by you, 

 that a greater range of investigation may sometimes be allowed to 

 the authors of prize-essays, than the terms of an ordinary prize- 

 question would allow. So that it only remains for your Council to 

 consider and report to you, as they are likely soon to do, to what 

 extent this principle may advantageously be pushed, and by what 

 regulations it may conveniently be carried into effect. In saying 

 this, I do not presume to pronounce that it is expedient to give up 

 entirely the system of proposing occasionally prize-questions, of a 

 much more definite kind than those to which I have been referring 

 as desirable ; but thus much I may venture to lay down, that original 

 genius in inquirers ought to be as far indulged as it is possible to 

 indulge it, both in respect of subject and of time ; and that due 

 time ought also to be allowed to those members of a Scientific So- 

 ciety, on whom is put the important and delicate office of pronoun- 

 cing an award in its name. 



The length at which I have spoken of our relations to Science, 

 as a Society publishing Transactions, though far from exhausting 

 that subject, leaves me but little room, in this address, to speak of 

 our relations to Literature and Antiquities ; subjects to which, in- 

 deed, I am still less able to do justice, than to that former theme. 

 But the spirit of many of my recent remarks applies to these other 

 subjects also; and you will easily make the application, without 

 any formal commentary from me. A word or two, however, must 

 be said on some points of distinction and connexion between the 

 one set of subjects and the other. 



As, in Science, or the study of the True, the highest rank must 

 be assigned to the science of the investigating Mind itself, and to the 



* And continued by her present Majesty, whose gracious intention of 

 becoming Patroness of the Royal Irish Academy has been made known 

 since the delivery of this Address.— iVoi^e ^y President. 



