THE ROYAL DUBLIN SOCIETY 359 



Works sought Davy's assistance in devising some 

 method of preventing the rusting of iron in the sea 

 water of Kingstown Harbour. 



The Transactions of the Dublin Society published 

 from the year 1800 to 18 10 contain very little of 

 permanent value. Most of the articles relate to agri- 

 culture and veterinary subjects ; potato cultivation is 

 frequently dealt with, and there are papers on dyeing, 

 bleaching, tanning, malting, kelp-making, peat, inland 

 and sea fisheries. A few papers contain original matter 

 of scientific interest, such as Higgins on the use of 

 sulphuret of lime as a substitute for potash in bleach- 

 ing ; Kirwan on a method of estimating the richness 

 of milk and the strength of alcoholic liquids. The 

 method is based on the rate of evaporation compared 

 with water under similar conditions, and on specific 

 gravity. Kirwan also outlined a plan for the manage- 

 ment of the mines of Ireland. His paper entitled 

 " What are the manures most advantageously applic- 

 able to the various sorts of soils, and what are the 

 causes of their beneficial effect in each particular 

 instance," is of great interest in the history of agricul- 

 tural chemistry. The paper was published in 1802, 

 before Sir Humphry Davy had begun to lecture on 

 agricultural chemistry, two years before De Saussure's 

 work was published, and more than thirty years before 

 Liebig's time. There are several papers by Wade on 

 the rare plants of Ireland, on Buddlea globosa^ Holco 

 odorata^ and other botanical subjects. Among papers of 

 historical interest are those on the Wicklow gold mines. 



Several of the volumes contain returns of meteoro- 

 logical observations taken at the Botanic Garden, Glas- 

 nevin ; there are also catalogues of plants in the garden, 

 programmes of lectures, lists of premiums, and other 

 particulars of the Society's work. When the Transac- 



