( cxlii ) 



teacliiiig of sc-ienee, '^oiilcl seek to exercise a sort of control over the 

 "work of such, societies ^rhich would be fatal to their independence, and 

 highly detrimental to their usefulness. 



The Irish Grovernment, both by its constitutional and its local 

 position, is the natural, as well as the best-informed, guardian and 

 protector of the body which represents the higher pursuits of learning 

 in this country. 



The Council deem it right to observe that the Commissioners on the 

 Science and Art Department in Ireland, 1869, do not, in section 4, 

 p. XXXV. of their Eeport, or elsewhere, recommend that the charge 

 of the vote for the Hoyal Irish Academy should be transfeiTed to the 

 Science and Art Department, as is stated in the letter from that 

 Department to the Secretary of Her Majesty's Treasury, of the 2nd 

 of May, 1876. 



3. It may be said by some persons that, in opposing amal- 

 gamation with other Societies in Dublin, and in declining to be- 

 come a branch of the South Kensington Establishment, the Aca- 

 demy would show a selfish inclination to stand in the way of the 

 creation of a great Science and Art Museum for Ireland. This would 

 be an entire misrepresentation. There is no excuse for confusing 

 those questions with that of the transfer of our antiquarian col- 

 lections to the Grovernment. The Academy has distinctly declared 

 its desire to co-operate in the establishment of such a ISfational 

 Museum, and its willingness to transfer these collections to the Go- 

 vernment under reasonable conditions, similar to those eJnceded to- 

 the Scottish Society of Antiquaries. Had it, however, been under- 

 stood that either the scheme of amalgamation, or subordination of 

 the Academy to the Science and Art Department, was intended to 

 form part of the Government plan, as communicated in Lord Sancton's 

 letter, the Council could not have recommended the Academy to. 

 entertain the proposal at all. 



4. The action which the Council recommend may, they are aware,, 

 be attended with serious consequences. But the issues involved appear 

 to them to be of such high importance, that whilst fully impressed 

 with the gravity of the crisis as possibly aifecting the resources — if 

 not the very existence of the Institution — they yet feel bound to advise 

 the Academy : — 



