was mooted in 1876, the Duke of Devonshire was amongst the 

 very first to be consulted. His Grace received the suggestion 

 most cordially, and took great interest in the formation of the 

 Society. He at once promised to become an annual subscriber, 

 and consented to accept the office of President. During the 

 fourteen years of our Society's existence the Duke's interest in the 

 progress and work of the Society has never flagged ; his annual 

 subscription was invariably p"aid to date (a business-like habit 

 which might with advantage be more universally emulated) ; and 

 no appeal for any extra funds towards the cost of some special 

 work undertaken by the Society was ever made without a prompt 

 and cordial response from the President ; at the same time the 

 Duke was never indifferent to the work of the Society, and to the 

 last felt and showed a keen and kindly interest in all we did. It 

 is with the most profound regret, shared, we feel sure, by every one 

 of our members, that your Council to-day mourns the death of its 

 President, the Duke of Devonshire. Assured that it would be 

 the wish of all our members, your Council has addressed a letter 

 to the late Duke's family, sympathising with their irreparable loss, 

 and expressing the deeply felt regret of the Derbyshire Archaeo- 

 logical and Natural History Society. 



It was obviously right that the name of our new President 

 should be annouficed at this, our anniversary meeting, and the 

 Council met on January ist mainly to consider this question. 

 Your Council were unanimously agreed that the office of President 

 of this Society should be offered for the acceptance of the Duke 

 of Rutland, K.G., whose close connection with the county and 

 well-known real interest in archjeological matters fit him pre- 

 eminently for the post. In reply to the letter from the Council, 

 the Duke of Rutland consents most cordially to accept the office 

 of President, and it only remains for this meeting to give, what we 

 feel sure it will be most ready to give, an emphatic approval of 

 the election of his Grace the Duke of Rutland, K.G., as President 

 of our Society. 



One of our vice-presidents has recently obtained high ecclesias- 

 tical preferment : Dr. Maclagan has been translated from Lichfield 



