463 ADDRESS DELIVERED AT A MEETING OF 



parts of Europe. Such observations furnish us with a simple but 

 admirable measure of the total e/ects of all the influential causes in 

 their combination and uoion. 



Another subject of special inquiry, which might be fitly urged 

 by this Society, is the history of the Tides on the coasts of Ireland. 

 On this subject much has been already done ; but probably much 

 yet remains to be accomplished. Of the observations made in the 

 summer of 1842, by the non-commissioned officers of the Ordnance 

 Survey under the direction of Colonel Colby, Mr. Airy (by whom 

 they have been ably discussed in a paper recently printed in the 

 Philosophical Transactions) observes, that " extent of time alone 

 appears wanting to render them the most important series of tide- 

 observations that has ever been made." Among the results to 

 which Mr. Airy has arrived is the remarkable one, that in the 

 harbour of Courtown, on the coast of Wexford " the only place 

 on the earth in which such a result has been distinctly obtained," 

 the Solar Tide exceeds the Lunar. Such a result as this affords 

 not only encouragement to fresh exertion, but also direction as to 

 its application. 



Another, and most interesting subject of research, which this Aca- 

 demy might direct, if not itself undertake, is that to which attention 

 has been recently drawn by Mr. Mallet, the movements of the 

 earth's crust, .whether convulsive and paroxysmal, or gentle and 

 regular. The phenomena of earthquake shocks in Scotland have 

 been systematically observed for the last five years, at the instance 

 of the British Association, and yearly reports of the results have 

 been made, and published in its Proceedings. Although there 

 appears to be nothing in this country analogous to the local move- 

 ments at Comrie, in Perthshire, still there is no doubt that earth- 

 quake shocks have been felt here ; and that more refined methods 

 of observation would detect numberless others, which wholly escape 

 the cognizance of the unaided senses. 



These and many other investigations, connected with the phy- 

 sical, the physiological, and the monumental history of Ireland, 

 appear to be fitting subjects, if not for the direct labours of this 

 Academy, at least for its encouragement. Science has a right to 

 demand such histories of local phenomena from the representatives 

 of Science in each portion of the civilized globe, and shall this 

 Academy be deaf to the call ? 



