Minutes of Proceedings. 277 



The Secretary of Council read the following letters : — 



'' Dublin Castle, 

 ''March 2mh, 1884. 



" SlE, 



'' "With reference to previous correspondence on the subject 

 of the proposed new Charter for the Eoyal Dublin Society, I am 

 directed by the Lord Lieutenant to transmit to you, for the informa- 

 tion of the Council of the Eoyal Irish Academy, the accompanying- 

 copy of a letter which was addressed to the Eoyal Dublin Society on 

 the 22nd December last, communicating to that Body His Excellency's 

 views in the matter. 



" I am. Sir, 



" Tour obedient Servant, 



''E. G-. C. Hamilton. 

 " The Secketakt of the Council, 

 ''Royal Irish Academy, 

 ''19, Bawson-streetP 



[Copy.] 



"SlE, 



" Dublin Castle, 

 December '2,2nd, 1883. 



" I am directed by the Lord Lieutenant to acquaint you, 

 for the information of the Eoyal Dublin Society, that His Excellency 

 has had before him their Memorial, praying for the issue of a new 

 Charter, which was forwarded with your letter of the 26th April last, 

 together with a Draft of the proposed Charter, and also a Memorial on 

 the same subject from the Eoyal Irish Academy, and the reply thereto 

 of the Charter Committee appointed by your Society. 



" His Excellency desires me, in the first place, to assure the Society 

 that no time has been lost in giving this matter its due consideration. 

 The importance of the issues involved required that the subject should 

 be dealt with fully in all its details, and this necessarily led to a con- 

 siderable amount of references and correspondence. I am, now, how- 

 ever, in a position to inform the Society, through you, of the decision 

 which His Excellency has finally arrived at. 



"The whole controversy has more than ever impressed on His 

 Excellency the desirability of the amalgamation of the several learned 



