THE ROYAL DUBLIN SOCIETY 287 



29th of August a great fete was given in the Botanic 

 Garden, at which 4000 persons were present. During 

 the meeting Mr. Markham, in the geographical section, 

 read an account of the search for Sir John Franklin, 

 by McClintock's expedition ; and on the evening of 

 the 31st of August, Dr. Livingstone, the African 

 traveller, lectured on Africa in the new museum. 



During the previous year, on the 13th of November 

 1856, the Council, with the sanction of the Society, 

 issued for the first time the Quarterly Journal of the 

 Royal Dublin Society. In 1861 this undertaking was 

 found to be too expensive, and the Journal ceased to 

 be published. 



Steps were then being taken for appropriating por- 

 tion of the lawn as a site for a National Art Gallery, and 

 early in 1858-, the designs for it were approved. At 

 this time it was proposed to make it also a place of 

 deposit for the contents of Archbishop Marsh's library. 



In February 1858, the Society resolved to institute 

 annual examinations in the elementary branches of 

 education, with a view to granting certificates of merit 

 to deserving candidates for appointments in banks, 

 commercial, and manufacturing establishments, &c. 

 The Rev. Joseph Carson, f.t.c.d., Dr. Ingram, f.t.c.d., 

 Messrs. Foot, Steele, and Neilson Hancock were ap- 

 pointed a board of examiners, and in each volume of 

 the Proceedings after this date will be found copies of 

 the examination papers, and lists of successful candi- 

 dates. 



On the 4th of January i860, Mr. Arthur Edward 

 Guinness and his brother, Mr. Benjamin Lee Guinness, 

 jun., were elected members of the Society. The 

 former, now Lord Ardilaun, was president of the 

 Society for sixteen years, succeeding Lord Powerscourt 

 on the 2nd " of December 1897, and retiring on the 



