A History of 

 The Royal Dublin Society 



CHAPTER I 

 ORIGIN OF THE SOCIETY 



ALTHOUGH the Royal Society of London was not 



founded until die year 1660, it is a well ascertained 

 fact that long prior to that date a number of scientific 

 men were wont to meet together in London for the 

 discussion of subjects interesting to them. The Oxford 

 Philosophical Society, which commenced its career in 

 1651 a continuation or offset of one that occasionally 

 met in Gresham College, London, and numbered among 

 its members Sir William Petty largely influenced the 

 beginning, and helped to mould the early form, of the 

 Royal Society. The troubled state of the country pre- 

 vented regular meetings of the philosophers at Gresham 

 College ; but they still held to their purpose, and 

 Evelyn's design and plan for a Scientific College, pro- 

 pounded in 1659 in a letter to the Hon. Robert Boyle, 

 is believed to have also had no small part in furthering 

 the foundation of the Royal Society, when, on the Re- 

 storation, the affairs of the kingdom were once more 

 placed on surer ground. Sir William Petty, in addi- 

 tion, formulated a scheme for a Scientific Academy, and. 



