THE ROYAL DUBLIN SOCIETY 209 



CHAPTER XIII 



FINANCES OF THE SOCIETY, MEMBERSHIP, AND 

 BY-LAWS. (1761-1836) 



Finances 



Some grants of public money in aid of the Society 

 have already been noticed, but it was not until the 

 year 176 1 that regular parliamentary grants were 

 made. In that year a sum of ^12,000 was voted 

 (1 Geo. Ill, c. 1) — ^2000 to enable the Society to 

 continue the premiums in agriculture and manufac- 

 tures, and ^10,000 for distribution among petitioners 

 for premiums. Under 3 Geo. Ill, c. 1, ^2000 were 

 voted for agriculture, and j£8ooo for manufactures, 

 and similar amounts under 5 Geo. III. By 7 Geo. 

 Ill, ^3000 were given for agriculture and for com- 

 pletion of the Grafton street house, and £7000 for 

 manufactures. From 1772, the regular sum voted in 

 any year was ;£ 10,000, and this continued to 1783. 

 From that period to 1792, ^5000 were granted, in- 

 creased in that year to £5500. In the year 1800, the 

 last of the Irish Parliament, the Society's grant amounted 

 to ^15,000. In June, 1784, a requisition was received 

 from the Commissioners of Imprest Accounts, under 

 the Act 24 Geo. Ill, passed for the due accounting of 

 all money granted for public works, and for ordering 

 a regular account of moneys, entrusted to (among 



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