88 A HISTORY OF 



CHAPTER VI 



HOMES OF THE SOCIETY 



As will have been seen, the earliest meetings of the 

 Society were held in the Philosophical Society's rooms 

 in Trinity College, and in the Parliament House, while 

 one meeting is noted as having been held on the 19th 

 of April 1739, at the Society's "ground," and a few 

 subsequent meetings, up to the 8th of June, took place 

 in its " House." These premises in Mecklenburgh 

 street, which were taken for the purposes of a Botanic 

 Garden, were abandoned by 1740 (see p. 186). 

 Though a table, chairs, cloth, &c. appear to have been 

 ordered for fitting up the rooms, the Society in a short 

 time resumed its meetings in the Parliament House. 

 Finding this increasingly inconvenient, especially in 

 view of the numerous properties and accessories which 

 were beginning to accumulate, a committee was ap- 

 pointed to look for suitable premises, and in December 

 1756, a report was made that such had been found in 

 Shaw's court, off Dame street, now partly included 

 in the site of the Commercial Buildings. The neces- 

 sary legal arrangements having been concluded, the 

 Society met for the last time in the Parliament House 

 on the 3rd of February 1757, and the first meeting in 

 its new home was held on the 10th of February, the Earl 

 of Lanesborough, vice-president, occupying the chair, 

 and twelve members being present. Part of the busi- 

 ness transacted at this meeting had reference to a 

 method communicated by Mr. Bermingham, of Ros- 



