136 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



obtained a patent in England for the erection of a Ballast . Office in 

 Ireland, was unsuccessful in his application. Accordingly his next 

 move was to petition the city, in association with his hrother, for a 

 lease of 'the port of Dublin at £50 a-year, in return for which he 

 undertook to surrender his English patent. A lease for thirty-one 

 years was granted ; hut as the Howards took no step to perfect it, 

 it was three years later declared void, and petition was made hy the 

 Corporation for a patent to the city for a Ballast Office. The activity 

 displayed on this as on the previous occasion was due to the exertions 

 of a private individual who had taken up Howard's project. 



In the year 1697 one Captain Davison had made a proposal to 

 the city to erect on or near the bar of Dublin a lighthouse ^ forty 

 feet above water, Avhich should be enclosed with a small fort of thirty 

 guns capable of defending the harbour, and at the same time he 

 proposed a Ballast Office, "by which ships should be supplied with 

 ballast fi'om such places only as should tend to the bettering the 

 harbour." In 1700, having obtained the approval of the Dublin 

 merchants and captains of ships trading there, and being encouraged 

 by the Irish Government, Davison proceeded to London, and 

 petitioned "William III. for authority to proceed with the work, and 

 for a grant of the lighthouse and Ballast Office. His petition was 

 referred to the Irish Lords Justices, who reported that the design 

 was useful and " absolutely necessary for the preserving the trade of 

 the place" ; but stated that the " city desired that the grant thereof 

 might be made to them." The Lords Justices accordingly re- 

 commended that "lest it should be thought a business of clamour to 

 grant such a thing away from a whole city, the grant should be made 

 to Davison as the instrument of the Corporation." 



The matter was then referred to the Committee of the Privy 

 Coimcil for the affairs of Ireland, ' ' to investigate the claim of the 

 several parties pretending to a right in the caiTying on of this work,"^ 

 several other persons having meantime sought a patent. The 

 Committee found the claims of Davison infinitely superior to those of 

 all private rivals ; but the city of Dublin alleging several ancient 

 charters by which they had title to the gi'ound from whence the said- 

 ballast was proposed to be taken, "and having in the sitting of the 

 last Parliament obtained a bill to be sent over for the establishment of 

 a Ballast Office," they recommended the claims of the citizens to Her 



1 Memoiial about the Light House at Dublin. Brit. Museum, Add. MS.. 

 21136 folio 82. Pi-inted in Dublin Corporation Eecords, vi. p. 609. 



