103 



haustless treasure of kind and generous feelings ; a deeply imagina- 

 tive and poetic character, which elsewhere is fast disappearing under 

 the influence of affected civilization and utilitarian philosophy, 

 but without which nothing of transcendent excellence is ever ac- 

 complished ; and lastly, an energy and acuteness of intellect not 

 surpassed by any people in the world. Surely these are heavenly 

 gifts, and ought to unfold into a glorious future ! Whatever, there- 

 fore, tends that way, whatever trains and guides these noble powers 

 in their legitimate direction, or counteracts the deceptive influences 

 that would make them instruments of evil, is a national blessing. 



And such a thing I hold our Academy to be ; not merely as an 

 example and encouragement at home, or an evidence abroad of 

 what we can perform, but because the habits which it requires of 

 united exertion, of calm and dispassionate judgment, of steady and 

 unvarying application, are among the most important elements of 

 national happiness and glory. Without them the brightest quali- 

 ties are a curse instead of a blessing. 



It may, perhaps, be expected that I should now make some re- 

 ference to those rich contributions which this Society has given to 

 the treasury of knowledge ; some estimate of their brilliancy and 

 worth. This, for the present, I must decline ; first, because it has 

 already been admirably done on many occasions by my immediate 

 predecessor ; and secondly, because the train of thought into which 

 I have been led is so completely in unison with the anticipations 

 by which the founders of the Academy seem to have been guided, 

 that it may not be unprofitable to develope it more fully. 



In the Preface to the first volume of our Transactions, all of which 

 is well worthy of your attentive consideration, this passage occurs, 

 among many others of similar import: — " Whatever tends by the 

 cultivation of useful arts and sciences to improve and facilitate 

 manufactures ; whatever tends by the elegance of polite literature 

 to civilize the manners and refine the taste of the people ; whatever 

 tends to awaken the spirit of literary ambition, by keeping alive 

 the memory of its ancient reputation for learning, cannot but prove 

 of the greatest national advantage. To a wish to promote in these 

 important respects the advancement of knowledge in this kingdom, 

 the Royal Irish Academy for Science, Polite Literature, and Aniiqui- 



