THE ROYAL DUBLIN SOCIETY 353 



show ; for the first time seats on the grand stand were 

 reserved, and were eagerly booked. Next year the 

 stand was greatly enlarged and placed in a better posi- 

 tion. The next record in entries and attendances was 

 on the occasion of the visit of the Duke and Duchess 

 of York in 1897, when the entries numbered 1431 

 and the visitors 66,167. 



At the show of 1899, a sale of horses by auction 

 was held on the Society's premises to the north of 

 Merrion road ; and similar sales have taken place 

 annually since that date. At first, these sales were 

 limited to horses regularly entered for competition at 

 the horse show, but afterwards they included horses 

 not entered for the show. In 1907, for example, 

 there were 499 horses offered by auction, and of these 

 only 56 were entered for the show. The sales are 

 every year increasing in importance, and already they 

 have acquired a high reputation among the breeders 

 and buyers of thoroughbred horses. 



THE LIBRARY 



Under the Science and Art Museum Act of 1877 

 the greater part of the library was transferred to the 

 Crown, and became the National Library of Ireland. 

 The agreement entered into between the Government 

 and the Society placed the National Library under the 

 superintendence of a Council of twelve trustees, eight 

 of whom are appointed by the Society and four by the 

 Government. The officers of the Library are appointed 

 by the Council of trustees, and the Society has the 

 power by by-law to determine the mode of election 

 and tenure of office of its representatives on the 

 Council of trustees.. Under the existing by-laws the 

 Society's eight members retire annually, and are eligible 



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