Annirrrsiiri/ Address. 31 



the docks with the numerous vessels from all parts of the world 

 unloading grain of all sorts, in one of which we found a very pretty 

 Lyre Antelope from Africa, and other curiosities, occupied us 

 till dinner, after which our President read — not a message like 

 those giants of transatlantic fame — but an address to the full as 

 interesting to us — detailing the origin and progress of our So- 

 ciety. Mr. Gyde also read a very interesting paper, for which he 

 had been awarded the prize of the Society of Arts, upon methods 

 of preserving paper and parchment from mildew. The rest of 

 the business of the Club was then transacted, and we adjourned 

 to the Conversazione, which occupied the rest of the night. 



May 8 found us assembled in great force, resolved to begin 

 the season well, at Swindon station, there being present, Messrs. 

 Baker, Light, Bolland, Barker, Daubeny, Bayly, E. and D. 

 Bowly, Stronge, Phelps, Strickland, Buckman, Jones, Powell, 

 Streeton, Prower, Taylor, Dr. Daubeny, and Sir Thomas Tancred, 

 members — Mr. Story Maskelyne, Mr. Holland, Rev. E. Mey- 

 rick, and Mr. Moore, favouring us with their company as guests. 

 Mr. Light and Mr. Streeton, whose loss, alas ! we have had since 

 to deplore, had kindly engaged vehicles, besides furnishing their 

 own, to take us to the remarkable Druidical remains at Abury. 

 On our way a party of us accompanied Mr. Maskelyne to Basset 

 Down House, his father's property, where he has made a very 

 interesting geological and chemical discovery, viz. the existence 

 of a thin bed of phosphate of lime nodules in the upper green 

 sand at its junction with the chalk marl, in the same position 

 and of the same character as those which have excited so much 

 interest in the neighbourhood of Parnham, but which had not 

 been previously discovered on this northern flank of the chalk 

 range. The lower bed of the same, in the lower green sand, has 

 not yet been observed. Abury, Silbury Hill, the Serpent, and 

 the circles of Druidical stones enclosed by an extensive foss and 

 dyke, were examined with great interest, and by stationing the 

 members of the Club in the spots whence many of the stones 

 had been removed and destroyed, we restored for the moment 

 the form of the smaller circles. Mr. Strickland mentioned his 

 having been on the top of the largest artificial mound, like that 

 of Silbury Hill, which is known, viz. that called the Tomb of 

 Halyattes in Asia Minor, described by Herodotus. 



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