THE ROYAL DUBLIN SOCIETY 187 



found to have been dismissed, and the garden house 

 given up. The soil having been found unsuitable 

 for the Society's purposes, the field itself was subse- 

 quently disposed of. 



It was not until fifty years later that the project 

 was again taken up, when, under the Act 30 George 

 III, c. 28, which granted ^5000 to the Dublin Society, 

 it was provided that ^300 of that sum were to be 

 employed towards the provision and maintenance of a 

 Botanic Garden. A similar amount was specifically 

 voted for the same purpose in each Act in favour 

 of the Society down to 33 George III. On the 22nd 

 of July 1790, the Society took into consideration the 

 best method of applying the ^300 appropriated in 

 the last session of Parliament for a Botanic Garden, 

 but it was not until almost a year later that Doctors 

 Robert Percival, Walter Wade, and Edward Hill were 

 invited to attend a conference, when, as a result of 

 their deliberations with the Society, it was resolved that 

 the University of Dublin and the College of Physicians 

 should be communicated with, requesting their co- 

 operation and advice. Both bodies were anxious to assist, 

 and appointed representatives to meet in conference those 

 elected by the Society, who were Sir William Gleadowe 

 Newcomen, Andrew Caldwell, and Patrick Bride. 

 Various sites near Dublin were examined, and in 1795, 

 premises at Glasnevin, held by Major Thomas Tickell 

 under a toties quoties lease from the Dean and Chapter 

 of Christ Church, 1 were finally selected. The site 

 consisted of sixteen acres, then in the occupation of 

 John Kiernan, under a lease of which five and a half 

 years were unexpired, at a yearly rent of 130. 



1 Archbishop Laurence O'Toole in 1178 granted Glasnevin to the 

 Church of the Holy Trinity, Dublin, which had one of its granges 

 there. 



