174 



" During the remaining years of the seventeenth century, 

 the unsettled state of Ireland precluded the possibility of lite- 

 rary enterprise or scientific investigation. From the following 

 paragraph in the Diary of Archbishop Marsh, it would appear 

 that an attempt was made to revive the Society in 1693 ; on 

 the 26th of April in which year he writes, ' This evening, at 

 six of the clock, we met at the Provost's lodgings in Trinity 

 College, Dublin, in order to the renewal of our philosophical 

 meeting, where Sir Richard Cox (one of the Justices of the 

 King's Bench), read a geographical description of the City and 

 County ofDerry, and of the County of Antrim, being part of 

 an entire geographical description of the whole kingdom of 

 Ireland, that is designed to be perfected by him ; wherein also 

 will be contained a natural history of Ireland, containing the 

 most remarkable things therein to be found, that are the pro- 

 ducts of nature. Upon his reading this essay he was admitted 

 a fellow of this Society, together with Dr. John Vesey, Lord 

 Archbishop of Tuam ; Francis Roberts, Esq., younger son 

 to the Earl of Radnor, some time Lord Lieutenant of Ireland : 

 O Lord, grant that in studying thy works, we may also study- 

 to promote thy glory, (which is the true end of all our studies), 

 and prosper, oh Lord, our undertaking, for thy name's 

 sake.'* The manuscript volume in the British Museum re- 

 commences at this date, and informs us that the members of 

 the old Society who met on this evening, or, as they are styled, 

 * the members before the warre,' were the Archbishop of 

 Cashel, the Provost, Dr. Willoughby, and Sir Cyril Wyche. 

 At the meeting of the 3rd of May, Mr. CufF and the Bishop 

 of Cork rejoined the body, and papers were read by Sir R. 

 Cox, describing Judland, and by Sir Cyril Wyche, on Varro's 

 Book, ' De Lingua Latina.^ — Dr. Thomas Molyneaux, Mr. 

 Edward Walkington, and Mr. Bartholomew Van Homrigh, 



' The Diary of Archbishop Marsh, already cited. — British Magazine, for 

 August, 1845. 



