Minutes of the Academy. 
xi 
It is to be observed that tlie results of the researches thus aided are 
to be brought before the Academy, and published in its ''Transactions" 
or ''Proceedings." Gentlemen proposing to undertake scientific in- 
quiries, and desiring to obtain assistance from the fund in the coming 
year, are requested to send in their applications at as early a date as 
possible. 
In the beginning of June, 1869, Lord Talbot de Malahide informed 
the Council that in consequence of the state of health of a member of 
his family, it would probably be necessary for him to go abroad, and 
that he could not undertake to be present at any of the Meetings of the 
ensuing session. Being of opinion that the President of the Academy 
should personally watch over its interests, especially at a period so 
important in its history, he thought it his duty to place himself in the 
hands of the Council, and leave them free to act as they should judge 
best for the interests of the Institution. The Council received this 
announcement with much regret, and, hoping for an altered state of 
circumstances which would enable his Lordship to continue to hold the 
Presidency, took no action in the matter. In September, a letter was 
received from Lord Talbot, in which he stated that he found it would 
not be in his power to discharge the duties incumbent on him, and 
that he therefore felt bound to resign his office. This communication 
was brought before the Academy at its next meeting. It was 
received with feelings of deep regret, and with a unanimous expres- 
sion of the gratitude of the Academy for the eminent services in its 
behalf rendered by his Lordship, and for his dignified and efiicient 
discharge of his functions as President. At the Stated Meeting in 
IS^ovember, the Academy proceeded to choose a successor to Lord 
Talbot; and the Eev. John H. Jellet, A. M., Fellow of Trinity 
College, and Professor of JN'atural Philosophy in the University of 
Dublin, was unanimously elected. 
N'ot the least important event in the history of the Academy during 
the past year has been the change introduced in the constitution of the 
Council. It had for some time been felt that, considering the immense 
development which Science has received in recent times, and the great 
number of different branches of inquiry comprehended within its do- 
main, the place which it ought to occupy in the work of the Academy 
was not adequately represented by assigning to it a representation on 
the Council amounting only to one-third of that body. At the same 
time it had been ascertained by the experience of many years that the 
number of communications to the Academy which could be regarded as 
coming under the head of Polite Literature was comparatively very 
small. There are now so many more popular vehicles through which 
papers on Literature can be brought before the public, that there 
is little inducement to offer them for insertion in the Transactions 
of a learned Society. Again, it has not been found easy to trace with 
accuracy the line of demarcation between the respective provinces 
of the Committees of Polite Literature and of Antiquities ; and diffi- 
culty has sometimes been felt in determining to which of these fields a 
given contribution should be assigned. 
