10 The Rev. Dr. Hincks on the Flora of Ireland. 
Society in Dublin; of the rare plants of Waterford, Cork, 
and Kerry, the three most southern counties, by Dr. Charles 
Smith, whose accuracy is admitted, and communications to 
the lists of How, Merret, and Ray, of the most remarkable 
plants that had yet been found in the country. We have 
now to inquire what progress was made in Ireland after 1780, 
and previous to Mr. Mackay’s labours. In 1785, the Lecture- 
ship on Botany in the University was changed by Act of Par- 
liament to a professorship, and annual courses of lectures 
were made imperative. Dr. Edward Hill, who had been 
lecturer, was the first professor, and continued to fill the 
chair till his death in 1801. I have not heard any cha- 
racter of his lectures, but it is reasonable to suppose that 
the increasing love of botany, which led to the change in the 
College, and to other circumstances, must have originated 
with him. Be this as it may, we find Dr. Robert Scott, who 
was afterwards his successor, Dr. Wade, Dr. Young, a fellow 
of Dublin College (afterwards bishop of Clonfert), an emi- 
nent promoter of science, Dr. Whitley Stokes, Fellow of Dub- 
lin College, and now Professor of Natural History in it, Mr. 
Blashford, a barrister, and others, adding every now and then 
new contributions to the Flora. At this time the late Mr. 
Templeton turned his attention to botany, and in 1793 had 
actually laid out that garden, known to all the botanists who 
have visited Belfast ; that garden in which he made the in- 
teresting experiments on raising plants in the open air, pre- 
viously found only in conservatories, communicated to. the 
Royal Irish Academy in 1799; that garden which to this 
day is a monument of his zeal, his skill, and of that attach- 
ment to botany with which he inspired his family. In 1792, 
Dr. Brinkley came to Ireland as Professor of Astronomy, 
and he was an ardent botanist; Dr. Barker made out a list 
of the plants of his native county, Waterford, Mr. Tighe 
of those of Kilkenny; and the illustrious Robert Brown, 
being at Derry for some time previous to his going to New 
Holland, not only carefully examined that county, but ex- 
tended his researches to the county of Donegal. All the gen- 
tlemen whose names I have mentioned were in communica- 
tion with Mr. Templeton, and he was urged by most of them 
to undertake the Flora of Ireland, with a promise of assist- 
ance. In the meantime Dr. Wade published his Flora of 
the county Dublin in 1794. About the year 1800 the 
Dublin Society established a professorship of botany, which 
was filled by Dr. Wade, and began the Glasnevin garden, 
having Mr. Underwood for their first gardener. The par- 
liamentary grant for this purpose was procured chiefly by the 
