54 A HISTORY OF 



persons of fortune for contributions, and also the pro- 

 curing of a charter of incorporation for the Society, 

 with statutes which would regulate its proceedings, on 

 the model of the Royal Society. He urged the en- 

 couragement of certain manufactures, the importing of 

 which caused the country very serious loss. Thus, 

 the loss on earthenware was £5000 y ear ly; hardware 

 and cutlery, £10,000; saltpetre and gunpowder, 

 £4000; threadbone lace, £8000; paper, £4000; 

 sugar, £6500 ; salt, £25,000 ; corn, in time of dearth, 

 £100,000. Madden further proposed that the Society 

 should " take and improve a reasonable number of 

 acres in different soils and places near Dublin, as an 

 experimental farm for all points of husbandry," and 

 he specially pointed out the advantages to be derived 

 from encouraging the fine arts. The Letter concluded 

 with an offer of £130 a year for two years — £30 to 

 be devoted to experiments in agriculture and garden- 

 ing ; £50 to the best annual invention in any of the 

 liberal or manual arts; £25 for the best picture, and 

 £25 for the best statue produced in Ireland. The 

 voting on these several premiums was to be by ballot, 

 by a majority of two-thirds of the members present. 

 He further undertook that the writer would continue 

 his subscription until other larger contributions could 

 be raised, and would pay it for life when £500 was 

 procured, " provided the Society apply his little fund 

 to the views they are directed to with their usual 

 activity and prudence." Copies of the minutes of the 

 next few months, dealing with the inauguration of the 

 Premium Fund, which soon amounted to £500 a year, 

 will explain the course pursued by the Society in ad- 

 ministering it. 



" 1739, Dec. 13 — Dr. Samuel Madden's generous 

 proposal to enlarge the plan and fund of the Society 



