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you are all of you aware that we owe our power of recognising dis- 

 tinguished talent to the enlightened bounty of one of our earliest 

 benefactors, who left to the Academy a sura of money, signifying 

 his wish that its interest should be applied to the advancement of 

 physical and zoological science, but leaving us a wide permis- 

 sion to extend it to any of the objects connected with our pursuits. 

 For a long time it was supposed that we were restricted to the ne- 

 cessity of awarding this Medal annually to the best of the essays 

 that might be presented to the Academy on a question proposed by 

 it; a course open to the disadvantage of making it a test of com- 

 parative rather than intrinsic excellence, and of placing it in a lower 

 degree of estimation than that which ought to attach to the decisions 

 of a Society like this. Impressed by a conviction of this kind, and 

 by other equivalent motives, the Academy came, a few years since, 

 to the — as I think — wise resolution of construing the intention of 

 the donor in a far wider and more liberal manner; not restricting it, 

 as before, to one communication, or one year, but spreading its 

 limits still more widely, so as to include even communications which 

 were not published in our Transactions. Tn fact, if a man brings 

 light into any dark recess of the intellectual world, we are disposed 

 to honour him, even though he has not thought fit to name us its 

 dispensers. We acted on this principle in its fullest extent when, on a 

 former occasion, we conferred this Medal onMr.O'Donovan for works 

 not given by us to the world, and one of which could not have been 

 published in its Transactions ; but I believe we acted both well and 

 wisely on that occasion, for that gentleman has, by his works, af- 

 forded to all who take an interest in the study of the ancient lan- 

 guage, history, and antiquities of our island, aid such as none other 

 could have afforded ; and, in fact, in this particular department of 

 literature, he shines out conspicuously among his predecessors. At 

 the same time, it must ever be borne in mind, that this case is an 

 extreme one ; and, although the Council acted wisely, and in accord- 

 ance with the legal construction of Mr. Cunningham's bequest, and, 

 as I think, in full accordance with its spirit and his intention, still 

 I need not point out to you that such a case must always be regarded 

 as exceptional, and must never be established as a precedent, ex- 

 cept on grounds which are able to meet the fullest examination, and 



