260 Royal Irish Academy. 



accumulations of communications is so great that many are easily 

 overlooked, and the periodicals which have the widest circulation and 

 possess the highest standard of reputation are often selected in 

 preference to the publications of a local society. 



Still, notwithstanding the facilities for travelling to a gi'eat scien- 

 tific centre, and the rapid communication through the post, which 

 yearly becomes more marked, there is yet room for much profitable 

 work and discussion on the spot, and the free and rapid interchange 

 of ideas face to face and in a university town, in the metropolis of 

 this island, where there is much literary and scientific activity seems 

 likely long to hold its own as an effective means for the advancement 

 of knowledge. 



One of the difiiculties under which a scientific society labours is 

 the want of a continuous supply of communications of adequate inte- 

 rest for reading and discussion at its meetings. If there be too much 

 to get through within the time available at one meeting there will be 

 too little at others, and the temptation is strong to send in work 

 rather to supply the deficiency and to fill up the hour or hour and a 

 half than because, in the opinion of the author and others a communi- 

 cation is of sufiicient interest to bring forward. 



It occurs to me that the desired material might often be supplied, 

 as has been done elsewhere, by verbal communications of recent work 

 which has been already published, which can be afterwards discussed 

 by those present, and further information asked from the communicator 

 as desired. 



From the recently published " Eecord of the Eoyal Society of 

 London," it appears that in the early days of that distinguished body 

 "Papers were read then, as now ; but the reading of Papers formed only 

 a part and by no means a great part of the business of the meeting. 

 Much time was spent in discussing the bearings of such experiments 

 as were shown, and in devising other experiments to be shown at 

 some subsequent meeting, or in instituting investigations to be carried 

 out in divers places and under various circumstances." 



Now whatever this may mean, there can be little doubt that many 

 things must have been gone into which were not entirely new, which, 

 though very recent, may have seen the light before. These meetings 

 seem to have been something intermediate between those intended 

 solely for the reading of original Papers and the formal lecture* 



