Mr. St. John Hope kindly promised to meet and conduct tlie 

 party, and the Midland Railway made special and most liberal 

 arrangements for the journey to and from Reading, including the 

 omnibus across London. Only thirteen names, however, were 

 sent in, and, as twenty was the minimum, the expedition was 

 reluctantly abandoned. 



The lecture upon " Derby as it was " was again postponed from 

 unavoidable reasons, and a visit to Nottingham was suggested for 

 September ; but again misfortune attended us, for our Nottingham 

 friends found themselves unable to receive us and to make the 

 necessary arrangements. We can only hope that any expedition 

 in the year now commencing will be brilliant in proportion to the 

 ill-luck attending those proposed for 1896. 



'I'he proposed restoration of the old Font at Wirksworth, 

 mentioned in last year's report, has now been most successfully 

 carried out, and the old font is again in use. Members will be 

 iTlad to know that the gentleman who carried out the actual 

 work of restoration is now a member of our Society. 



We have heard recently a rumour of a scheme for restoring 

 to use another old font in the County, a rumour we hope may 

 prove correct. 



Your Council has also been consulted as to the best means 

 of preserving from further demolition the old cross at Pleasley ; 

 this matter is under consideration. 



Your Council is glad to be able to report no act of special 

 vandalism in the County, and whilst hoping that this really means 

 that nothing of the kind has been perpetrated, we would still 

 strongly urge upon individual members the importance of keeping 

 careful watch in their own neighbourhoods, with a view to the 

 possible suggestion of counsels wiser than those which sometimes 

 prevail. 



