[Saunders' News-Letter, Wednesday, May 7, 1845] 



ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF IRELAND. 



At a Meeting of this Society held on yesterday, the 6th 

 May, William Valiancy Drury, Esq., in the chair. The 

 following Report was read : — 



FIFTEENTH YEARS REPORT OF THE ROYAL 

 ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



"Your Council have great gratification in referring 

 you to the Treasurer's account, which now, for the fourth 

 year in succession, shows a steadiness of progress 

 highly encouraging. 



"The collection has much increased in value, the 

 Gardens have been improved, and the great and most 

 valuable feature of the Society, i.e., its affording a means 

 of rational and healthful educational recreation to the 

 people has been well carried out, as will appear by the 

 tables appended to this Report. 



"Your Council wish that it should not be forgotten 

 that the Society (feebly aided as it is) has for some years 

 contributed annually to the useful gratification of about 

 100,000 persons at a nominal rate, thus giving practical 

 effect to the principles which have recently opened 

 Hampton Court and other places to the people, and led 

 to the especial formation of Parks, &c. Your Council 

 have further aided the progress of education by con- 

 tinuing to give free admission to students desirous of 

 drawing or modelling from the animals in the Gardens, 

 and have had most pleasing proofs of the utility of this 

 permission. They have also endeavoured to promote 

 the spirit of intellectual inquiry, which a collection of 



