THE ROYAL DUBLIN SOCIETY 303 



It was under these circumstances that the Royal 

 Agricultural Society decided to surrender its charter 

 under the provisions of the Dublin Science and Art 

 Museum Act, 1877, and to transfer its members and 

 its property to the Royal Dublin Society. The property 

 consisted of Government stock valued at 7,094, 135.6^.; 

 cash amounting to 247, 2s. id. ; and five challenge 

 cups valued at 280. 



In 1888, the new library building was approaching 

 completion, and the Society asked the Government to 

 reconsider the allotment of rooms in Leinster House. 

 After a long delay Government made a proposal which 

 the Society considered wholly inadequate. Repeated 

 efforts to arrive at a settlement with the officers of the 

 Science and Art Department proved abortive. The 

 Society determined to * ignore them, and to appeal 

 directly to the Government. Personal interviews took 

 place with the lord lieutenant, the Earl of Zetland ; 

 the president of the council, Lord Cranbrook; the chief 

 secretary, Mr. A. J. Balfour ; and the vice-president of 

 the council, Sir William Hart-Dyke. Finding that 

 there was a risk of the decision of the Government being 

 deferred until Parliament rose, a memorial signed by 

 1216 members was forwarded to the prime minister, 

 Lord Salisbury. A full statement of the whole case 

 was prepared, and the Society was about to forward it 

 to every member of both houses of Parliament when a 

 proposal was received from the Government. This 

 was in the form of a Treasury minute dated July 

 the 3Oth, 1890, and, as it conceded nearly everything 

 the Society had claimed, it was at once accepted. 



Thus ended a controversy which had lasted with 

 little intermission for twenty-three years. It was a 

 bitter conflict at times, and personal friendships of 

 long standing were strained to the breaking point. 



