1 82 A HISTORY OF 



expenses of the old library between 1816 and 1849 ; 

 in 1862, it cost £930. 



Under the agreement of March the 5th 1877, made 

 between the Government and the Society, when its 

 collection of books became the nucleus of the National 

 Library of Ireland, the librarian of the British Museum 

 was to be invited to give his opinion as to any books 

 which it might not be necessary to transfer. Any such 

 volumes were to remain in possession of the Society, and 

 these became the nucleus of the very important library 

 which the Royal Dublin Society has formed during 

 the last thirty-five years. It now numbers between 

 40,000 and 50,000 volumes. Members of the Society 

 elected prior to the 1st of January 1878 have the 

 privilege of borrowing books from the National 

 Library. 



In 1 8 8 1 the Society became possessed of a large 

 number of volumes, almost altogether on theological 

 and controversial subjects, bequeathed by the Rev. 

 Aiken Irvine, of Coleraine. In 1889, it was enriched 

 by what is known as the "Tighe Bequest," being 222 

 volumes of classics, especially of rare editions of 

 Horace, from the collection of the late Robert Tighe, 

 esq., of Fitzwilliam square. In March 1905, Miss 

 Anne Winter bequeathed to the library the books 

 belonging to her brother, Mr. John Winter, consisting 

 of a number of volumes of general literature. 



STATISTICAL SURVEYS OF COUNTIES 



In the year 1801, the Society undertook the com- 

 pilation of Statistical Surveys of the various counties 

 of Ireland, arranging that each contributor should 

 receive ^80 for his work, and these surveys continued 

 to appear up to 1832, when, at the time of Isaac 



