46 Royal Irish Acndemi/. 



Transactions, to the Journal of the Kilkenny Arch(Zological Society, and 

 to other Journals, has supplied important materials for the elucidation 

 of many obscure points in Irish Mediaeval History. Thus in his 

 Papers on the ''Irish Coins of Edward IV. and of Henry YII." 

 we find incidentally raised the curious question as to the coins of 

 Edward Y. on which appears the title of Rex Sihernm instead of the 

 usual Domimis HilernicB — which change, it has been ingeniously 

 suggested by Dean Butler, was made by the Yorkist faction to engage 

 for the impostor Lambert Simmel that instinctive devotion of the 

 Irish people for the royal title, independent of personal merit or con- 

 stitutional principle, which has been so frequently displayed. These 

 Papers, which at once established Dr. Smith's character as an acute 

 and accomplished ^Numismatist, were followed up by others on the 

 Anglo-Saxon coins, and on the Scottish coins and tokens found in 

 Ireland, others again on the Irish coins of Mary, and on the moneys 

 of necessity coined in Ireland of debased materials, as brass and pewter, 

 in the calamitous periods of the first Charles and of the second James. 

 Another subject of Dr. Smith's researches was that of the coinage of 

 the great Anglo-Korman nobles, whether of the de Lascis in Ulster, 

 exercising the rights of feudal sovereignty, or as the EitzGeralds and the 

 Ormondes, acting by authority of and as representatives of the Crown. 

 He also directed his attention to the subject of the tradesmen's tokens 

 coined of silver and copper in Ireland, and has thereby collected 

 materials for illustrating many points in the industrial history of this 

 country. All these careful and laborious inquiries afford valuable aid 

 to the historian ; but we owe to the zeal and patriotism of Dr. Smith 

 far more than even such literary contributions. The collection of 

 Irish coins formed by Dr. Smith during his inquiries, and which it 

 had been sought to obtain for the Museums of the sister kingdom, has 

 become, owing to his national spirit and liberality, the property of this 

 Academy, and being augmented by the collections of Dean Dawson 

 and of Dean Butler, which were similarly acquired, render the 

 jN'umismatic treasures of this Academy such as any Museum or any 

 country may be justly proud of. 



Eor such labours, and on such grounds, the Council have decided to 

 confer upon Dr. Aquilla Smith a Cunningham Medal, and in that 

 award I have no doubt the Academy heartily concur. I have now, 

 accordingly, the pleasure of presenting the Medal to Dr. Smith. 



