138 
years, that branch of this institution (which was chartered equally for 
the advancement of Science, Polite Literature, and Antiquities) has not 
had its share of the money spent upon printing. It will be in the re- 
collection of the Academy that, according to the Treasurer’s statement 
two years ago, the impoverished condition of our finances had chiefly 
arisen from the expenditure incurred in printing and illustrating our 
Transactions. 
«‘The third Resolution informs me that the Council recommend the 
Academy to open a subscription for the purpose of completing the @ata- 
logue of the Museum. It was with considerable surprise I heard of the 
intention of that Resolution an hour before it was passed. Should it be 
adopted by the Academy, with the money collected I would strongly 
and urgently recommend the Council to complete the arrangement, 
numbering, labelling, and manuscript registration of the Museum, in- 
cluding the proper arrangement and display of the gold ornaments in 
the iron safes intended for that purpose, and one of which has now been 
erected for upwards of seven years without having been made use of. 
A proper case or cases will also be required for the Ecclesiastical Anti- 
quities. This subject of cases I entered fully upon in my letter to the 
President during the summer vacation, and which letter, I beg to ob- 
serve, met with the approval of those with whom chiefly rested the re- 
commendation to the Government of such works. 
‘“‘Tf the Council desire it, and the Academy, either by subscription 
or a vote of money, pays for it, I am ready to complete the registration 
when the proper cases are supplied. And I can now assure the Council, 
as I did on several former occasions, that this is a matter of the utmost 
moment and urgency. Ifthe means are placed at my disposal, and I 
am not again stopped in the midst of the work, I will very shortly 
have the arrangement of the Museum completed, and all the articles 
now remaining, except the coms and medals, registered, and I think 
at a cost of £10 or £12. The remaining part or parts of the Cata- 
logue may be completed at a subsequent period by myself or others; 
but until the arrangement of the Museum has been finished, and all the 
engravings made, and the manuscript more advanced, it would be im- 
possible to estimate, even by approximation, what number of pages will 
be required in such a work. 
‘“«TIn bowing to the authority of the Council, and thus for the present 
ending my labours, given gratuitously to the Academy for the benefit of 
Irish Antiquities, I beg to assure the Members that my chief endeavour 
has been to arrange and register our too long neglected Museum, and to 
place on record now, while there are persons living who can afford the 
information, all that was valuable or authentic connected therewith ; and 
that I never asked either Council or Academy to print one page of the 
continuation of a work which, although devoted to a subject not valued 
by a large proportion of our Members, has, I believe, neither lessened the 
prestige of the Academy, decreased the interest in our Museum, nor 
lowered the cause of Irish Archeology and Ethnology. 
