THE ROYAL DUBLIN SOCIETY 157 



The Leskean cabinet consisted in all of 7331 

 specimens, and was pronounced one of the most 

 perfect monuments of mineralogical ability extant. 

 William Higgins was appointed professor of chemistry 

 and mineralogy to the Dublin Society in June 1795, 

 when the cabinet was placed under his care. It was de- 

 posited in a spacious apartment, open to students, and 

 special rules regulating admission were printed. The 

 chemical laboratory was established, and Higgins was 

 instructed to make experiments. 



In 1815, on the report of Giesecke, professor of 

 mineralogy, and Thomas Weaver, an authority on the 

 same science, German manuscripts and drawings, con- 

 cerning mineralogy, geology, and mining, the property 

 of the late Dr. Mitchell, were purchased for jioo. 

 They had originally been collected with a view to 

 the formation of a mining board, long a project of 

 Dr. Richard Kirwan. 



During the next year it was considered important 

 to establish communication between the Society's 

 museum and the Imperial museum, Vienna, and 

 Giesecke was directed to send Baron Schreiber, the 

 director, in accordance with his expressed desire, speci- 

 mens of the meteoric stone which fell in Tipperary 

 (see p. 228), and to thank him for specimens of some 

 that fell in Moravia and Bohemia. In 1829, the 

 committee of chemistry recommended that the Leskean 

 cabinet should be restored and completed in all its 

 parts, and a more suitable apartment provided for it, 

 where the whole cabinet might be open for inspection 

 by the public. 



In April 1794, it had been found necessary to pro- 

 vide fitting rooms on the north side of the Poolbeg 

 street premises for the due arrangement of this 

 valuable collection, together with accommodation for 



