Minutes of Proceedings, 97 



Eepoet Enclosed. 



This Committee was appointed at a general meeting of the sub- 

 scribers to the Todd Memorial Fund, held on the 27th of October, 

 1869, for the purpose of carrying into effect the resolution of the sub- 

 scribers that such Memorial should take the form of a Professorship of 

 the Celtic Languages, to be founded in connexion with the Royal 

 Irish Academy. The Committee appointed Mr. J. T. Gilbert, who is 

 a member of the Council of the Eoyal Irish Academy, and Mr. 

 Hardinge, joint treasurers of the fund. A proposal haying been made 

 by Mr. Gilbert and others to apply the fund to a different purpose, and 

 the Council of the Academy having protested against that course, unless 

 with the sanction of a public meeting of the subscribers, and saving 

 the rights of the Academy, and Mr. Hardinge having died, a requisi- 

 tion was, on the 27th of January, 1879, addressed to the Secretaries of 

 this Committee to convene such meeting for the purpose of appointing a 

 joint treasurer with Mr. Gilbert, and for the transaction of general 

 business. The Secretaries, in the exercise of their discretion, on the 

 10th of February last convened a Meeting of this Committee for those 

 purposes, to be held on the 21st of February ensuing. On the 17th of 

 the same month, the Council of the Academy, by Eesolution of that 

 date, declared its willingness to advise the Academy to accept the trust 

 for founding such Professorship. 



Mr. Gilbert, without the knowledge or consent of the Committee, 

 lodged, on the 21st of February, 1879, the Trust Fund, so vested ia 

 him as such surviving treasurer, in the Court of Chancery, under the 

 provisions of the Trustees Eelief Act, 11 & 12 Yict. c. 68. 



The reasons which induced Mr. Gilbert to make such lodgment 

 are stated by him, in an affidavit dated February 15th, 1879, in sup- 

 port of his petition to lodge, to be, that the fund is wholly insufficient 

 to endow and support the proposed Professorship, and that differences 

 of opinion would appear to exist as to the best disposition of the fund ; 

 and further that there does not now appear to be any power to appoint 

 a new trustee in the place of Mr. Hardinge, deceased. 



The Committee do not admit that the fund is insufficient, but, on 

 the contrary, trust that, with the co-operation of the Academy, a Pro- 

 fessorship may be established on that foundation. They abstain from 

 remarking on the statements as to differences of opinion or alternative 



