302 A HISTORY OF 



"Through the kind intervention of Sir Arthur 

 Guinness, to whom the Council feel that the Society is 

 under a deep obligation, an interview was brought about 

 between My Lords of the Committee of Council on Edu- 

 cation, and a deputation from the Council of this Society, 

 at which Sir Michael Hicks Beach and Mr. Smith, two of 

 the members of the Government who had contracted the 

 original agreement, were fortunately present. At this inter- 

 view the deputation were able to satisfy the Government 

 that the statement of the original agreement made by the 

 delegates in their report to the Council of the 8th of May 

 1879 was correct, and that the Society had throughout 

 only sought a fulfilment of the agreement entered into in 

 1877. This resulted in the Government consenting to 

 limit their offer of .£25,000 to clauses 9 and 10, with such 

 an explanation of clause 1 as removed a difficulty felt by 

 the Government, without in effect limiting the rights of 

 the Society under that clause." 



The report concludes by quoting the terms of the 

 agreement drawn up and signed by Lord George 

 Hamilton on the part of the Government, and by 

 Dr. G. Johnstone Stoney on the part of the Royal 

 Dublin Society. 



The Council considered that by this agreement the 

 Society gained what it had claimed from the first, and 

 that a position had been secured which would leave the 

 Society " independent of all Government control, and 

 in a state of efficiency for the discharge of all its 

 functions." 



Though the Royal Agricultural Society of Ireland 

 and the Royal Dublin Society had agreed to amalgamate 

 in October 1877, it was not until March 22nd, 1880, 

 that the formal articles of agreement were executed. 

 The Royal Dublin Society had already invested ,£35,000 

 in its agricultural premises at Ballsbridge ; the shows 

 there had been established on a secure basis, and the 

 most hopeful views were entertained as to the future. 



