406 
APPENDIX TO THE REPORT, BEING AN HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF THE 
CUNNINGHAM FUND. 
In compliance with the wish of the Academy, we have prepared the 
following statement respecting the origin and history of the Cunning- 
ham Fund :— é 
Timothy Cunningham,* of Gray’s Inn, by his will, dated the 10th of 
June, 1789, bequeathed to the Royal Irish Academy a sum of £1000 
to be laid out in such funds as they should think proper, and the inte- 
rest to be disposed of in such premiums as they should think proper, 
for the improvement of natural knowledge and other objects of their 
Institution. By the said will he appointed the Rev. Thomas Hussey 
executor thereof, who duly proved the same, and obtained probate on 
the 16th June, 1789, from the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. The 
net amount of the bequest, namely, £1072 (Irish), was transmitted to 
the Academy in December, 1789. A committee was appointed for the 
disposal of it; and on their recommendation, it was resolved that it 
should be invested in Ballast Board Debentures, £28 being added to 
make up the round sum of £1100. This resolution was, however, 
not carried into effect. A sum of £1000 out of the fund was allowed 
to remain in the hands of the Treasurer, the Hon. William Burton 
Conyngham,+ as a loan at 4 per cent.; and the remainder was applied 
to the general purposes of the Academy. 
At Mr. Conyngham’s death, in 1797, he remained indebted to the 
Academy in the full amount of his loan. The whole was, however, 
afterwards paid off by his representatives by instalments, the last of 
which was receivedin March, 1804. These instalments, as they fell in, 
were expended for general purposes, particularly—as will appear 
hereafter—on the repair of the premises of the Academy. 
In March, 1860, when a sum of £892 9s. 6d. was still outstanding 
in the hands of Mr. Conyngham’s representatives, the Academy pre- 
sented a petition to the Irish Parliament for a grant in aid of their funds. 
In this they stated, among other things, that ‘‘ the Academy had been 
put to very heavy expenses by the fall of different parts of the house, 
and obliged to lay out in repairs large sums belonging to a private 
fund, appropriated by the donor to particular purposes, and were not 
able to replace them;” and they expressed a hope “that a sum of £1000 
would not be deemed too much for its relief.” In answer to this peti- 
tion, the Parliament, by the Act 40 Geo. 3, c. 60, sec. 3, granted a sum 
of £1000 Irish for the purposes of the Institution generally. The net 
amount of the grant, £970 Irish, was increased to £977 5s. 7d. out of 
* For an account of Mr. Cunningham, and a list of his writings, see Gilbert’s “ His- 
tory of Dublin,” vol. iii. 
+ From a confusion with the name of this gentleman, the fund is often erroneously 
denominated the ‘‘Conyngham Fund” in the proceedings of the Council. 
