THE ROYAL DUBLIN SOCIETY 293 



8. Members elected before the 1st of January 1878, 

 were to have the privilege of borrowing books from 

 the National Library. 



9. The Government was to permit agricultural 

 shows to be held in Kildare street, or to provide for 

 their transfer to some other convenient place. 



10. Should such transfer take place, account should 

 be taken of any loss sustained by reason of the removal 

 of the shows from the city to the suburbs. 



1 1 . Vested interests of officers paid from public 

 funds were to be preserved. 



12. The Society was to be relieved from all 

 expense connected with the School of Art. 



13. The library and collections of the Society, 

 which were to be conveyed to Government, were to be 

 placed in the National Library and Museum, and re- 

 tained in Ireland. 



14. The Society undertook to concur in any bill 

 vesting the library and collections in the Government. 



1 5 . The Government would be prepared to recom- 

 mend the grant of a new charter, if necessary. 



The Dublin Science and Art Museum Act, entitled: 

 "An Act to authorise the Commissioners of Public 

 Works in Ireland to acquire from the Royal Dublin 

 Society and others lands for the erection of a Science 

 and Art Museum in Dublin, and to establish a National 

 Library in Dublin ; and for other purposes " — received 

 the Royal assent on August the 14th, 1877. It was 

 contemplated that the Agreement of March the 5th, 

 1877, should be ratified as soon as possible after the 

 Act had passed, under a clause which had been included 

 in the Act for this purpose. The negotiations which 

 took place before this ratification was accomplished are 

 referred to in the next chapter. They involved delay 

 which at a critical period proved most embarrassing to 



