( cxiii ) 



"11. These arrangements will necessarily entail the surrender by 

 the Royal Dublin Society and the Royal Irish Academy, of some pri- 

 vileges which they now enjoy, and will deprive them of some of those 

 functions which they have hitherto exercised ; but the Lords of the 

 Committee of Council on Education wish it to be distinctly under- 

 stood, that they in no way undervalue the eminent services which the 

 Royal Dublin Society and the Eoyal Irish Academy have rendered to 

 Ireland. They trust that those services may still be continued, for it 

 may be observed, that the autonomy and functions of the Societies 

 would be in no degree affected, except as provided in the foregoing ; 

 nor does this scheme in any way interfere with the aid in repairs, etc., 

 now afforded to the Royal Dublin Society for the maintenance of its 

 Agricultural Department ; or with the grants to the Royal Irish Aca- 

 demy for Literary and Scientific research. 



''12. Their Lordships further earnestly desire to retain the advan- 

 tage of the assistance and authority which the continued co-operation 

 of the Societies with the Government in this more extensive national 

 undertaking would afford, and in order to aid them in the administra- 

 tion of the Science and Art Museum, the iJ^atural History Collections, 

 and the Botanic Gardens, they propose to constitute a Board of Yisitors 

 consisting of twelve Members, four nominated by the Lord Lieutenant, 

 five by the Royal Dublin Society, three by the Royal Irish Academy — 

 the Members to be appointed for a limited time, but to be re-eligible — 

 and a President to be elected annually by the Board. The duties of 

 the Board of Yisitors would be to make Annual Reports to the Science 

 and Art Department, which should be laid before Parliament, on the 

 condition, management, and requixements of the Museum, and to ad- 

 "vise on points affecting the administration. 



"13. The Science and Art Museum would be under a Director — an 

 oflS.cer of the Science and Art Department dii-ectly responsible to it, as 

 at Edinburgh — with a suf3.cient staff . 



"14. The jSTatural History Museum would be under a Curator paid 

 by the State, as at present ; but he would be appointed by, and re- 

 sponsible to, the Science and Art Department, and not to a Committee 

 of the Royal Dublin Society. It is not necessary here to consider the 

 exact relations of this officer to the Director of the Science and Art Mu- 

 seum, but they would probably be somewhat similar to those of the 

 Curator of the Natural History Museum in Edinburgh to the Director 

 of the Science and Art Museum. 



