156 A HISTORY OF 



of the minerals, fossils, &c, at the repository, in con- 

 junction with him. Stewart died in 181 1. 



Early in 1792 a committee was appointed to treat 

 for the purchase of a celebrated cabinet of mineralogy 

 called the Leskean cabinet, then for sale, and a sum 

 of ^1200 was voted for it, but in all it cost the 

 Society about £i2$o. 1 On the 8th of November, Dr. 

 Richard Kirwan, who had negotiated in the matter 

 of this cabinet, reported that it was then lodged 

 in the Hawkins street house, with a collection of 

 shells which he had procured. There were also 

 lodged there an herbarium, and a botanical collection. 

 Nathaniel Gottfried Leske, professor of natural his- 

 tory at Marburg, one of Werner's most distinguished 

 pupils, had arranged this cabinet museum, 1782-7, 

 and on his death it was enlarged, revised, and described 

 by Karsten, 2 who ranked next to him among German 

 mineralogists. On the Society's behalf, Dr. Kirwan 

 subjected it to a rigorous examination, when he 

 rectified any errors. The cabinet contributed greatly 

 to the diffusion of more exact knowledge on the 

 subject of mineralogy in Ireland, and Dr. Kirwan 

 refers to it in his work, Elements 0} Mineralogy. 



The collection was divided into five separate 

 parts : — 



1. External character of minerals. 



2. Classification of minerals. 



3. Earth's internal structure (or geological). 



4. Mineralogical geography. 



5. Economical mineralogy. 



1 Under the Act, 32 George III, c. 14 (1792), it was provided that 

 all subscription money in arrear recoverable by civil bill should be 

 applied (among other things), towards the purchase of a cabinet of 

 minerals. 



2 Description of Minerals in the Leskean Museum, by D. Ludwig 

 Gustavus Karsten, translated by George Mitchell, is among the 

 Haliday pamphlets (1798, dccxli. 1). It occupies 667 pages, includ- 

 ing an index. 



