344 Roijal Irish Academy. 



The year that has just elapsed is memorable to the Academy, not 

 more for the celebration of its Centenary, than for the death of our late 

 distinguished President, Sir Samuel Perguson. In him has passed away 

 one of the oldest members of the Academy, and one of its staunchest 

 friends. He had been a Member for upwards of fifty years. Prom 

 the very beginning of his membership he gave proof of his peculiar 

 turn of mind. The love for antiquarian studies animated him 

 down to the last year of his life, from his first Paper, published in 

 January, 1838, to his last work "On the Patrician Documents," 

 1885, a work which gives us the measure alike of the intimacy of his 

 acquaintance with the story of Ireland's Apostle, and of his mastery 

 over the riches and beauty of the English tongue. 



During the twenty years between 1841 and 1863, the absorbing 

 duties of his profession of barrister left him but little leisure for the 

 prosecution of antiquarian research ; but as soon as circumstances per- 

 mitted, his eager mind returned to the cherished studies of his younger 

 days, and in 1863 he began a series of investigations into the arcana 

 of Oghamic writing, which he carried on down to the end of his life 

 with unabated zeal. No failure seemed to daunt him, no praise made 

 him relax his efforts; and it is not too much to say that if ever the 

 interpretation of the Oghamic record be solidly established, a large 

 share in the renown of the discovery will fall of right to Sir Samuel 

 Ferguson. 



I^or is it solely to his efforts towards the solution of this problem 

 that his renown is due : the thanks of scholars are not less owed to 

 the devotion with which he hunted out from every corner in Ireland 

 the pillar-stoues on which the writings are engraved. It was indeed 

 his wish, as it was our hope, that the Academy should be enabled to 

 publish a Corpus Inscriptionum, in the shape of photographs, taken 

 from the paper casts and moulds made by his hands. But with his 

 death the hope has failed : the first fasciculus alone was completed ; 

 the remainder await the time when the Academy shall be fortunate 

 enough to discover among its members one who can worthily fulfil 

 the pious duty of completing the work that Sir Samuel Perguson 

 began. 



These drier studies, the pioneer labours of decipherment and tenta- 

 tive translation, appealed to a comparatively narrow circle. But Sir 

 Samuel Perguson had a far deeper claim on his countrymen than 



