THE ROYAL DUBLIN SOCIETY 43 



When first he came over to bless this poor Nation, 

 And found us a people without education, 

 Full sore did it grieve him, and therefore did he, 

 Resolve to reform us, and that speedily. 



And 'cause we can't read, nor yet understand, 

 The Language that's spoken in old England, 

 First taught a Catechize wrote in our own, 

 In an easy new method, before never known. 



In February 1738, the Society had the satisfaction 

 of learning that by the aid of its screw pump, Mr. 

 Barclay, " the Quaker," had cleared of all water a ship 

 stranded on the North Bull, by which means, the 

 vessel, which would otherwise have been lost, was 

 saved. 



In October, Mr. Prior informed the members that 

 Mr. Arthur Dobbs had discovered by experiment that 

 the polygon stones of the Giant's Causeway, when put 

 into a smith's forge, ran into glass, and that he had 

 brought to town some stones on which Mr. Maple 

 was to make further experiments, by mixing other 

 ingredients with them. 



Mr. Steel produced a model of a machine with 

 horizontal sails, which turned with any wind, with 

 application to a corn mill and also to a ship, to make 

 it move against wind and tide. He was asked to buy 

 a small Norway yawl, to make trial by means of his 

 sails and paddles. 



In October 1739, the Society took in hand its own 

 better regulation. Several members had withdrawn, 

 and neglected or refused to pay their annual sub- 

 scriptions, whereby the Society suffered in income. 

 The deficiency had become so great that the funds 

 were unequal to making useful experiments, procuring 

 the best implements, &c. It had become necessary to 



