THE ROYAL DUBLIN SOCIETY 305 



1863, but in deference to the wishes of some Irish 

 members of Parliament further action was postponed. 

 When the consideration of the draft charter was re- 

 sumed two years later, the attention of the Council 

 was called to the fact that the draft contained a para- 

 graph excluding the privileges of members from the 

 control of the Council. The Council urged the 

 Society to forego this exemption, but by 33 votes to 

 21 a general meeting carried an amendment declining 

 to do so. The Science and Art Department there- 

 upon refused to recommend the Treasury to sanction 

 certain increased grants which the Society had applied 

 for, until the paragraph in question was omitted. A 

 special meeting was held, at which the Lord Justice 

 of Appeal presided, and 148 other members were 

 present, and it was agreed to omit the provision 

 exempting the privileges of members from the control 

 of the Council. With this difficulty removed, the 

 terms of the supplemental charter were soon agreed to, 

 and it was enrolled on the 14th of June 1866. 



This charter directs that the general management 

 and control over the affairs of the Society (excepting 

 so far as might affect the constitution of the Society) 

 should be vested in and exercised by the Council ex- 

 clusively. This important change was effected for the 

 purpose of increasing the Society's efficiency in the 

 administration of public funds. The Science and Art 

 Museum Act of 1877 relieved the Society of this 

 work, but left the Council with its power unaltered, 

 and in possession of unrestricted authority such as few 

 representative bodies of a similar kind enjoy. 



In the negotiation which preceded the passing of 

 the Act of 1877 it became evident that a new charter 

 adapted to the altered circumstances of the Society 

 would be necessary. At the request of the Society, 



