1894- ADDRESS TO THE MUSEUMS' ASSOCIATION. 29 



The Science and Art Museum. 



The early history of this Museum, for nearly a century and a half 

 previous to the year 1877, when it was transferred to the Science and 

 Art Department, forms a part of the general history of the Royal 

 Dublin Society, and I propose, therefore, in the first place, to give a 

 sketch of the history of the Society, with special reference, however, 

 to the inception, growth, and development of the Museum, which 

 constituted but one department of the Society's many-sided functions. 



The Society had its origin in a private association, formed in the 

 year 1731 by fourteen citizens of Dublin, for improving husbandry, 

 manufactures, and other useful arts and sciences. This association 

 was incorporated by charter of George II. in 1749, and was granted 

 a yearly sum of ;^500 out of the privy purse. 



On the 22nd of February, 1733, the Museum was first opened to 

 the public. Its contents then consisted chiefly of agricultural imple- 

 ments and models of flax and cider mills, which, with the permission 

 of the Lords Justices, were exhibited in a vault under the House of 

 Parliament. The first eight meetings were held in Trinity College, in 

 the rooms of the Philosophical Society. Afterwards one of the 

 committee rooms of the House of Parliament was used for the same 

 purpose. 



The first regular place of meeting by the Society was acquired in 

 1756 in Shaw's Court, from whence it removed in October, 1767, to 

 Grafton Street, and thence again in 1796 to Hawkins Street, where a 

 specially built edifice afforded accommodation to the Museum,, 

 laboratories, etc. 



In 1761 the Society received its first Parliamentary grant, and 

 since that time many special, besides annual, grants have been made, 

 which were entrusted to the administration of the Society for the 

 benefit of the public. During the latter years of the last and the early 

 part of the present centuries the Mineral collection received many 

 acquisitions both by purchase and donation, and for a long time it 

 formed the most important part of the Museum. 



In 1790 Parliament directed (30 Geo. III., c. 28) that a Botanic 

 Garden should be formed, and in 1792 a cabinet of Mineralogy was 

 sanctioned, and in the following year a sum of money was granted 

 (33 Geo. III., c. 13) for erecting a suitable repository for it. 



In 1800 the Society received a grant from the Irish Parliament 

 of ;^i,5oo, and for twenty years after the Union the income amounted 

 to /'io,ooo (Irish currency) per annum. The resources of the Society 

 were so far husbanded that in December, 1814, it was enabled to 

 purchase Leinster House from the Duke of Leinster for ^'20,000, and 

 in the following year the collections were transferred there. By the 

 removal of the National Library to the new buildings in 1890, the rooms 

 of that splendid mansion have been freed from the cases which con- 

 cealed so much of their noble proportions and artistic decorations. 

 The rooms have been restored of late years, and now present an 



