34 NATURAL SCIENCE. July. 



a committee appointed to consider the question of a General Museum 

 of Science and Art in connection with the Society. It concurred in 

 the opinion of the Commission which met in Dublin, 1868, "that the 

 formation of a separate Department for Ireland would be detrimental 

 to the interests of Science and Art in that country." It then refers 

 to the proposal of the Commission that the several proposed 

 institutions should be concentrated on one site, namely, a Science 

 and Art Museum, a Public Library, a Museum of Natural History, 

 a Museum of Irish Antiquities, a National Gallery and a School 

 of Art. 



Plans were prepared by which it was shown how this object 

 might be attained on the Society's premises by the incorporation of 

 Leinster House, and the connection of its first floor as a means of 

 communication between the proposed buildings. The committee 

 demurred, however, to the control of these institutions being trans- 

 ferred to another authority. 



The Lord Lieutenant, Earl Spencer, to whom the report was 

 forwarded, expressed himself strongly in favour of the establishment 

 of a " General Museum of Science and Art," but considered that the 

 plan would not be perfect Avithout the co-operation of other societies. 



The most important donation to the IMuseum during the year was 

 made by Sir Richard Griffith. It consisted of his unique collection of 

 Irish fossils (Carboniferous and Silurian), which contains nearly all the 

 typical examples described by M'Coy and Salter in their " Synopses 

 of the Carboniferous Limestone and Silurian Fossils of Ireland," 

 respectively. It serves to illustrate the state of palaeontological science 

 at the time of the publication of Sir Richard Griffith's large map. It 

 is now well placed for inspection in the Palaeontological Gallery. 



In a report by the Council of the Society, read on the 5th of March, 

 1874, the delay in providing funds to meet several urgent applica- 

 tions, and in the provision of the new Museum, etc., is animadverted 

 upon. 



A committee appointed to report on the question of the extension 

 of the buildings for the Museum, Library, etc., confirmed, except in 

 some minor details, the report of the committee of 1872. 



The premises of the Society were visited and inspected on the 

 7th of December, 1875, by the Right Hon. Viscount Sandon, M.P., 

 Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education, Mr. 

 W. H. Smith, M.P., Secretary to the Treasury, the Right Hon. 

 Sir Michael Hicks-Beach, M.P., Chief Secretary for Ireland, and 

 Major (now Major-General Sir John) Donnelly, R.E., with reference 

 to the increased accommodation for the Aluseum and Library, 

 and the formation of a general Museum of Science and Art, 

 and a letter was received by the Society on the 17th of 

 February, 1876, from Lord Sandon, relative to the establishment 

 on the Society's premises of a general Museum of Science and 

 Art. An objection was at this time raised by the agent of the 



