a long-felt want in bringing the various county societies into closer 

 communication one with another, and in promoting systematic 

 research. The archaeological survey of England is a work the 

 Congress is very anxious to see completed, and your Council will 

 be very glad to hear of any member willing to undertake the 

 county of Derby. 



The work at Rains Cave has been completed since our last 

 anniversary; thanks to the skilled labour of Mr. Ward, 

 ably supplemented by the hearty co-operation of the two 

 young Rains, the cave and its contents have undergone a 

 searching examination. Accurate details of the work done will 

 be found described in Mr. Ward's exhaustive paper, which appears 

 in another part of this volume, and from this it will be seen that 

 whilst the results are of a very interesting character, and fully 

 justifying the decision to undertake the examination, still they are 

 not, archseologically, of sufficient value and importance to make 

 any further work likely to prove remunerative or wise. All expenses 

 incurred in this matter have been defrayed by private subscription, 

 and the Society's funds have been in no way taxed. The very hearty 

 thanks of the Society are due to Mr. Ward and his fellowdabourers 

 for the thorough manner in which they have carried out this work 

 in the interests of our Society. Special thanks are also due to 

 Professor Boyd Dawkins for his invaluable help in the classification 

 of the bones. 



During the past year the attention of your Vigilance Committee 

 has been called to several instances of Church restoration or 

 alteration ; advice has been solicited, and, of course, willingly 

 given, and we have reason to believe with satisfactory results. In 

 archaeology, as in every other subject, good advice is sometimes 

 treated with scorn, but there is every reason to hope that a more 

 true spirit of preservation is abroad, and that the opinion and 

 approval of this Society is not, as a rule, regarded with 

 indifference. 



Just before the close of the past year the Society suffered a 

 severe loss in the death of its President, the Duke of Devonshire. 

 When the idea of forming a Derbyshire Archaeological Society 



