3IO 



NA TURE 



[Feb. 17, 1876 



Acting upon this and other considerations, to which we 

 need not further aHude, the Commission unanimously 

 came to the conclusion that the remedy they weie seeking 

 lay, not in the formation of a separate Department for 

 Ireland — which, indeed, they went on to say would be 

 detrimental to the interests of Science and Art in that 

 country — but in the consolidation and better administra- 

 tion of the existing institutions, and in the filling up of 

 some obvious gaps. The essence of their recommenda- 

 tions was the amalgamation of several of the collections 

 into an institution strongly resembling the South Ken- 

 sington Museum, but covering a wider field, which should 

 be administered by a director, who should be in imme- 

 diate relation not only with the Minister of Education, 

 but also with the Irish Government. This scheme, how- 

 ever, had a great drawback in the eyes of many of the 

 leading noblemen and gentlemen in Ireland who were 

 interested in the existing institutions, because it entailed 

 the deprivation in the case of the two principal societies 

 — the Royal Dublin Society and the Royal Irish Academy 

 — of the privileges they had hitherto enjoyed of adminis- 

 tering large public funds voted for the Natural History 

 Museum and the Botanic Gardens, as well as other insti- 

 tutions. This objection and, possibly, the economical 

 views of the late Government, have sufficed to keep this 

 question in abeyance since 1868 ; but it now appears that 

 the present Government have determined to take some 

 decided step, for they have, we understand, during the 

 last few days communicated with the bodies principally 

 interested in the scheme. 



From the information which has reached us we gather 

 that the plan now proposed is as complete as that indi- 

 cated by the Commission of 1868, although it is not 

 identical with it. Thus it has been decided to build a 

 Science and Art Museum for Ireland similar to that now 

 existing in Edinburgh. This will occupy a site adjacent 

 to the principal buildings which now exist, and will con- 

 sist of collections analogous to those of the South Ken- 

 sington Museum, to which will be added the antiquarian 

 collection of the Royal Irish Academy, and the industrial 

 collection of the old Museum of Irish Industry. The 

 building will also provide space for the Natural History 

 Museum and Geological Collection, and will thus set free 

 the present Natural History Museum, to which the library 

 of the Royal Dublin Society will be transferred and formed 

 into a public National Library. 



As may be imagined, this comprehensive scheme will 

 entail the expenditure of a large amount of public money, 

 and the Government make the offer contingent on the 

 surrender of the privileges to which we have before 

 referred, and the vesting of all the property in the Govern- 

 ment. With the view, however, of still enabling those 

 who at present take so great an interest in the existing 

 institutions to continue this useful co-operation and repre- 

 sent the special wants of the country, it is proposed that 

 the new National Library shall be managed by a Council 

 of twelve trustees — eight to be nominated by the Royal 

 Dublin Society and four by the Government ; while the 

 administration of the Science and Art Museum, which is 

 to be under a director appointed by the Crown, as in Scot- 

 land, will be controlled by a Board of twelve visitors — 

 four nominated by the Lord Lieutenant ; five by the 

 Royal Dublin Society ; and three by the Royal Irish 

 Academy. 



It is not proposed to interfere with the functions of the 

 societies we have named, and we are glad to see that the 

 Government propose still to continue the aid they now 

 give to them. 



In making these proposals the Government has taken 

 the opportunity of putting on record its appreciation of 

 the eminent services which have been rendered to both 

 art and science by the societies we have named, and 

 makes it clear that the motive for suggesting any diminu- 

 tion of their independence is, (hat the wants of the com- 



munity with regard to such matters as public museums 

 have now in Ireland, as long ago in England, outgrown 

 the useful operation of private societies. 



The surrender of what we may, we hope, without 

 offence, term some of their ornamental functions, will no 

 doubt be somewhat painful to their members ; but we 

 cannot suppose that they will allow their private feeling 

 to stand in the way of a national scheme so rich in pro- 

 mise, and based on principles which we should be glad 

 to see applied in other localities besides Dublin. 



MINIATURE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY 



THE sands of the Lower Bagshot series are exposed 

 along the shore at Bournemouth and form the cliffs. 

 They are agglutinated into a very friable sandstone, which 



disintegrates under the influence of rain with extreme 

 readiness. The siliceous grains are cemented] together, 

 probably by carbonate of lime. At any rate the adhesion 

 of particle to particle is very slight and easily relaxed. 



Fig. 



The result is that phenomena of erosion which else- 

 where take years, centuries, ages, display themselves here 

 on a miniature scale, and in a very short space of time. 

 AU the details of a river drainage system may be seen 



