( clxx ) 



last month, it was found that the Academy's Parliamentary Grant no 

 longer appeared amongst the Irish votes, but under those to be 

 accounted for by the Science and Art Department. 



It was, therefore, all the more gratifying to the Council to receive 

 immediately afterwards the Letters which it now hastens to com- 

 municate to the Academy. They are, for convenience, arranged in 

 chronological order. 



[1.] 



" Science and Aet Department, 



" South Kensington, S.W., 



''WiFelruary, 1877. 

 " Sm, 



" The Lords of the Committee of Council on Education have given 

 their careful consideration to Sir Michael Hicks Beach's letter, dated 

 7th November, 1876, to the Secretary of the Treasury, on the subject 

 of the re-transfer of the vote for the Eoyal Irish Academy to the Irish 

 Government, which was forwarded by Mr. Law to this Department 

 on the 16th November. 



' ' I am to request that you will inform the Lords Commissioners 

 of Her Majesty's Treasury, that the Lords of the Committee of Council 

 on Education are glad to find that the general scope of the proposals 

 of the Eoyal Irish Academy, as they anticipated would be the case, is 

 not inconsistent with their views as expressed in my letter of the 8th 

 Eebruary, 1876. 



"It is hardly necessary to remind their Lordships that the scheme 

 proposed in that letter was always considered to be open to such modi- 

 fications in details as might appear to be desirable, after the Govern- 

 ment had had the advantage of hearing the criticisms upon it of those 

 gentlemen in Ireland who, from their knowledge and experience, 

 have a just influence in such matters, provided always that the modi- 

 fications did not interfere with the ultimate success of the great object 

 which Her Majesty's Government had in view, namely, the establish- 

 ment in Dublin of a comprehensive ]S"ational Museum of Science and 

 Art, which has been generally desired for many years. 



