146 A HISTORY OF 



Ireland, and the Council of the Royal Dublin Society 

 contributed 30 towards its purchase for the National 

 museum. (Report of Mr. Dudley Westropp, Museum 

 Bulletin, Sept. 1912, p. 8.) 



On the ist of March 1770, certain by-laws as to 

 subscriptions and arrears were passed. The Society's 

 collector laid before it an account of the subscriptions, 

 which in March 1769 amounted to 228, I2s. 9^. 



In 1772, Colonel William Burton presented to the 

 Society a chart of the Shannon from the sea to 

 Limerick, executed by John Cowan. It was proposed 

 that ^25 should be given to Cowan, when he should 

 have succeeded in taking a survey and chart of the 

 river above Killaloe, towards its source, so far as the 

 Society might think him deserving of it. 



In May 1772, the Dublin Society took quite a new 

 departure, when it was suggested that a select standing 

 committee should be appointed to enquire into the 

 ancient state of the arts, literature, and other antiqui- 

 ties of this kingdom ; and to examine the several un- 

 published manuscript tracts in possession of the Society, 

 and all other tracts on those subjects, of which the com- 

 mittee could obtain perusal. The committee included 

 the president, vice-presidents, secretary, treasurer ; Lord 

 Charlemont, Lord Moira, the Bishop of Derry, the 

 Speaker, Dean Woodward, Dr. Ireland, Major Val- 

 lancey, the Marquis of Kildare, and Lord Dartrey. 

 Dr. Ireland and Major Vallancey were appointed 

 secretaries. The Society authorised the Chevalier 

 Thomas O'Gorman to apply to the college of the Lom- 

 bards in Paris, and to other learned bodies, for copies of 

 any ancient manuscripts, records, &c., illustrative of the 

 history and antiquities of Ireland. At the time, Charles 

 O'Neill was principal, and Lawrence Kelly prefect, of 

 the Irish community of the college. At a meeting 



