1 68 A HISTORY OF 



included Dr. Whitley Stokes, lecturer in natural his- 

 tory, Trinity College, Dublin, and G. B. Somerly, of 

 London. 



To return to the labours of the mining engineer. 

 In 1814, he reported on the Leinster coalfields, which 

 he had found to number eight beds. The Grand 

 Canal Company and the owners of the beds had 

 recently made over two hundred trials for coal, at a 

 cost of thousands of pounds, in districts where, on a 

 mere inspection of the map and sections, it was clear 

 that no coal could be found. Griffith next laid before 

 the Society his geological and mining survey of Con- 

 naught, and then directed his attention to the Ulster 

 coal district, where, between Emyvale in Monaghan 

 and Pettigo in Fermanagh he made a minute survey, 

 but found only thin beds of coal. In 1827, he was 

 engaged on a general geological survey of Ireland, 

 with a view to the publication of a memoir and map 

 of each county, following the Ordnance Survey. He 

 examined from Slieve Gallon in Derry, south to Ennis- 

 killen and Clogher, where were found some thin beds 

 of coal ; and he also reported on the metallic mines of 

 Leinster. He hoped soon to report on Munster, and 

 had found Audley, near Crookhaven, and Ross Island, 

 Killarney, among the most promising places in the 

 British Empire. Soon after, Griffith informed the 

 Society that there was no part of Ireland, in the 

 geological examination of which he had not made con- 

 siderable progress. "The chief public object of my 

 life is to complete an accurate map, geological and 

 descriptive, of Ireland." Griffith resigned his post 

 on being appointed a Commissioner of valuation of 

 lands in Ireland, but stated that he intended to 

 continue his researches towards the completion of the 

 geological map. 



