50 A HISTORY OF 



of printing useful suggestions in the form of letters. 

 " How to make Bread without barm ; also for pre- 

 serving a large stock of the barm," was the title of 

 one which appeared in 1746. 



During the year 1749, occurs the first mention of 

 John Nost or Van Nost, who afterwards developed so 

 remarkable a genius for sculpture. To show his skill 

 in modelling, he presented to the Society a bust in 

 clay, from which he was asked to carve a bust in 

 Italian statuary marble. Van Nost, who had come from 

 London, where he was born, was then residing in 

 Jervis street, where he exhibited models in plaster. 

 He executed for the Friendly Brothers of St. Patrick 

 a statue of William, lord Blakeney, the defender of 

 Minorca, which once stood in Sackville street, but is no 

 longer among the public statues of Dublin. Van Nost 

 also executed the equestrian statue of King George II, 

 now in St. Stephen's Green. He died in 1780. 



On 2 ist March 1749, the Society published the 

 following notice " The Dublin Society takes this 

 opportunity to inform the public that they have en- 

 gaged Mr. John Cam (a Quaker), well skilled in 

 English husbandry, and making ploughs and carts in 

 the best manner, to attend gentlemen and farmers in 

 the country, as an itinerant husbandman, to advise 

 them in the right way of ploughing and managing 

 their land for the growth of corn. He will carry with 

 him some ploughs of his own making, &c. Said Cam 

 will set out from Dublin on Monday 27th, and will go 

 to Navan, and so proceed to the rest of co. Meath, 

 and the counties of Kildare, Carlow, Kilkenny, &c., 

 where he may meet growers of corn, and instruct 

 them in the right way of tillage, and thereby save 

 labour, expense, and time. . . . " A letter of recom- 

 mendation will be given him from the Society to 



