ON SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTIONS (DUBLIN).
Xiii der, at the same time that it would be a positive injury to the Geological Survey.
1945-3299> The recommendation that the Museum should be separate from the School of Science is also founded upon a mistake as to the nature and objects of the collec¬ tions which your Committee repeat have two distinct objects, namely, for the use Vide Commission* of the officers of the survey, and the illustration of the lectures of the professors.
l862* These primary objects do not preclude the use of such collections by the general public; and it appears that their use in this way has been attended with advantage.
1319~
II.
Chemical Department.
When Sir R.
Kane was appointed Director of the Museum, the duties of Chemist devolved upon the assistant chemist, who was subsequently made Chemist.
The duties of this officer, and of the Assistant Chemist afterwards appointed, were: 1st, to perform whatever chemical work was required during 2259.
3150.
the progress of the Geological Survey ; 2d, to make any analyses sent through 3156.
the Director from public Boards ; 3d, to carry out any special chemical investi¬ gations which the Director may consider useful, or which may be directly or¬ dered by the Government; 4th.
to make the analyses required for the agrolo-gical maps which the Director contemplated to publish for each county.
The Chemist and Assistant Chemist received no remuneration for their ser¬ vices, whether the investigation was ordered by Government or by public Boards, beyond their official salaries.
When the present Professor of Chemistry, Dr.
Sullivan, resigned the office of Chemist in 1856, Mr.
Galloway was appointed nominaUy to perform the same duties as the former officer, 3155-and also to conduct the classes of practical chemistry, which had been voluntarily established by Dr.
Sullivan, but the teaching of which was now made part of the official duties of the Chemist.
The Assistant Chemist, Mr.
Gages, who was also Curator, was soon after relieved of his duties as Assistant Chemist, and he ultimately resigned that office.
No successor was officially appointed to succeed him, but a sum of 100/.
per annum of the contingent expenses has been allowed to be allocated to pay an assistant chemist.
Mr.
Galloway considers that that sum should be taken out of " incidents," and be placed on the regular estimate of the establishment.
The present Chemist does not perform any of the duties of the former Chemist and Assistant Chemist.
About three years ago Mr.
Cole, Secretary of the Department of Science and Art, relieved him of those duties, and told him that henceforth the Government would only require of him to teach practical chemistry.
There is consequently no longer any one whose specific duty it is to make analyses, or give chemical aid to the officers of the Geological Survey.
The construction of the agrological 3152.
maps has been wholly given up, although the French Government has actively 3g2o.
promoted the preparation of such maps since the Irish were projected; and already the maps of several departments have been published.
It is to be regretted that this important work has been given up; perhaps by a re-23*i to 2327.
organization of this department it may be possible to resume it, as well as to 3154* afford aid to the Geological Survey in the analyses of minerals, rocks, &c.
III.
Library.
The Library of the Museum of Irish Industry has been formed by the pur¬ chase of books required by the professors and officers, and may be considered 1295.
to be, also, the Library of the Geological Survey, as all books required by the Local Director, as Professor of Geology, are purchased.
Though on a more x433-limited scale, it has the same character as the library at Jermyn-street.
Students are allowed to read there during the day; and it has also been opened to them during the evening, for a part of the year.
Any person making appli¬ cation to the Director, or introduced by the professors and officers, has always been allowed to read there.
There is no specific grant for this library, the cost of the books being defrayed out of the grant for the purchase of specimens.
As a good working library is of the greatest advantage to a school of applied science, it may be advisable to make a separate grant for it, and, as at Jermyn-street, to place the library under the Curator, there being at present no Librarian.
495.
b 3 IV.
School
