The Freeman's Journal. Wednesday, May 7, 1851], 

 ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



The annual meeting of this Society was held yesterday 

 at Dr. Ball's Rooms, 5, Trinity College, at shortly about 

 two o'clock, the chair was taken by M.J. O'Kelly, Esq. 



Dr. Ball read the following Report: — 



" The Council of the Royal Zoological Society of 

 Ireland, in compliance with practice, tender their Report 

 on the Society for the past year, the 21st of its existence. 

 ' The Council have to congratulate the Society on 

 its safe passage through many trials during the last few 

 years, when it often seemed a hopeless struggle to 

 preserve it from dissolution : nevertheless the Council, 

 conscious of the high value of so useful an Institution, 

 did persevere and have succeeded. The following state- 

 ment will show a better prospect for the future than the 

 most sanguine anticipated a short time since. 



"The Society, now of full age, with much experience in 

 all its working, enters upon a fresh career with few of 

 the difficulties which attended its outset. The Garden 

 is now in beautiful order, the Houses sufficient for the 

 Society's purpose, the prospect of extended usefulness 

 daily increasing, owing to the extension of railways — the 

 adoption of excursion trains, the doing away of turnpikes 

 on the leading roads, the revival of Zoological taste in 

 England and elsewhere, and generally improved means 

 of the public. 



" In October last the Council addressed a circular to 

 the actual members of the Society, stating their condition 

 as to current debts and future prospects. This circular 

 was promptly and generously responded to, and a sum 

 paid in, which at once relieved the Council from the heavy 

 responsibilities it had long endured. 



' The Council, grateful for this aid, failed not to 

 continue the strict economy by which alone the Society 

 has hitherto been preserved through difficulty. The 

 result will be manifest on inspection of the annexed 

 abstract of the Treasurer's Account. 



"Many unreasonable complaints have been made of 

 the smallness of the Society's collection of animals. It 

 will generally be found that these complaints proceed 



