262 Royal Irish Academy. 



so well able to do. It may, however be open to question wbetber,. 

 some of the work might not be more efEectually done by greater con- 

 centration of effort. 



I leave tbis matter to those members who have specially pursued 

 their studies in this direction, and pass on to the scientific side. 



It so happens that I am in the unique position of having been 

 elected in turn to the office of President of each of the two leading 

 scientific Societies in Ireland. Very many are members of both the 

 Royal Irish Academy and the Royal Dublin Society, and are therefore 

 in a good position to look upon both sides of a question which has 

 become more or less of a controversy, from the necessity of authors 

 selecting one or the other body before which to read their communi- 

 cations. But as President I have had the matter thrust more promi- 

 nently before me on both sides and in all its bearings. 



One cannot but be struck by the fact that, in so small a communitj 

 as Dublin — for persons living in the country share very little in the 

 work of its scientific Societies — there should be two institutions over- 

 lapping so much of one another's field of work. 



The Royal Dublin Society, established as it was more for the 

 applications of science to the Arts and Industries, has more concern 

 with, and is more widely known by its connexion with, what is now 

 and is ever likely to be in the future by far the largest industry in 

 Ireland — I mean that of Agriculture. Still it has its scientific side, 

 the popular or lecture department and the sections for the reading 

 and discussion of Papers, for demonstrations of an informal character 

 and abstracts of recent Papers. These communications are in some 

 cases of a practical character, on the application of scientific principles 

 to practical and commercial questions ; but others are on matters of 

 abstract science, and so cover some of the ground which is embraced 

 by the Academy. 



On the side of the Academy it is said that here is the proper and 

 legitimate place for the discussion of abstract and theoretical ques- 

 tions. On the side of the Dublin Society, attention is drawn to the 

 fact that they have had in the past and at least equally so in their 

 present Lecture Theatre facilities for illustration and experiment 

 which we do not yet possess ; also that the interest of a considerable 

 sum of money is available to defray the cost of the publication of 

 .«»uch of the papers read at their meetings as may be suitable. The 



