Minutes of Proceedings. 237 



' printing the names of all the persons who attend each weekly 

 ' meeting. The greater part of the expense thus incurred will be 

 ' rendered unnecessary by investing in a Council the administra- 

 ' tion of the affairs of the Society ; but your Committee are of 

 ' opinion that it is highly desirable that the Society should issue 

 ' publications, both occasional and periodical, and should cause 

 ' such publications to be printed in the cheapest manner, and 

 ' sold to the public at the lowest price which circumstances 

 ' will admit. It has been represented to your Committee that 



* original investigation has never been the object of the Dublin 

 ' Society, but that it has always aimed rather at diffusing a 

 ' knowledge of those results which have been the fruit of the 

 ' labour of others — more particularly of such as have a practical 

 ' bearing upon the useful and ornamental Arts. For this reason 



* it is said that the Society has wisely abstained from publishing 

 ' Transactions containing philosophical speculation. Perhaps this 

 ' is a sound view of the duties of the Dublin Society ; but your 



* Committee are not of opinion that on this account it ought 

 ' wholly to abstain from publication. The abundance or scarcity 

 ' of materials for its publications will depend much on the effi- 

 ' ciency or remissness of the Council, the Committees, and the 

 ' Professors, and will form a good test of the energy with which 

 ' they fulfil the duties imposed on them. Your Committee think 



* it very desirable that each Committee, aided by the Professor 

 ' attached to such Committee, should at least once in each year 

 ' submit to the Society Reports, as well of their own operations 

 ' as of any changes which may have taken place in the general 

 ' condition of Science within this particular department since 

 ' their preceding Eeport ; and that they should present to the 

 ' attention of the Society, and of the public, any particular facts 

 ' which they may deem it of importance to communicate by way 

 ' of compilation, extract, or abridgment. Such Reports, together 

 ' with any Papers of a peculiarly interesting kind, which may 

 ' have been read at the Evening Meetings, would afford ample 

 ' materials for occasional or periodical publication. Indeed, con- 

 ' sidering the very extensive range of subjects which are brought 

 ' within the circle of the Dublin Society's duties, the chief diffi- 

 ' culty in regard of publication, if the Committees and officers 

 ' were efficient, would be the task of selection.' 



