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ch«tnct lu ancient time... We next fell in Nvitli a church, where an 

 eccle-siologist gave a lecture on architecture ; and .soon after, a botanist 

 liappily stumbled upon a rare plant, which he forthwith pulled to pieces 

 and expounded for the benefit of those who were botanically inclined 

 " A little learning" is, proverbially, '' a dangerous thing," but " a little 

 learning" acquired under such circumstances as I have described, is cer- 

 tainly very agreeable, and, notwithstanding the proverb, I would trust not 

 very dangerous. 



But there is another thing which a local society may do 

 for science, and upon which I would lay great stress as being really im- 

 . portant, and as a work which cannot be done in any way so well as through 

 this kind of agency. I refer to the establishment of a local museum. °I 

 do not he.sitate to say that in my opinion every town, worthy of the 

 name (I mean every town as distinguished from a mere village), ouoht to 

 have its museum. You will, I hope, understand what I intend to express 

 by the term " museum." I do not mean a mere cabinet of miscellaneous 

 curiosities, than which few things can be more useless ; but I mean an 

 orderly, well-arranged, collection of things, interesting on the score of 

 science, or antiquity, or beauty, which the neighbourhood supplies. The 

 degree of perfection which such a museum can attain will depend, of 

 course, upon a variety of circum.stances ; but, if only a local scientific 

 society will start a museum, and lay down the fundamental law that trash 

 is to be excluded, the collection will quite certainly become sooner or 

 later valuable. And there is one department beyond others for which, if 

 I am not mistaken, a museum is specially required— it is that of antiqui- 

 ties. In almost all neighbourhoods, and, I should conceive to a pre- 

 eminent extent in Cumberland, antiquities come to light from time to time; 

 men plough up, or dig up the monuments of past days— records, it may 

 be, of Roman occupation, or of our British ancestry, or of Border war- 

 fare, and the treasures so found go sometimes one knows not where. 

 Now, it is in the highest degree desirable that they .should not be lost, 

 and that they should not pass into private collections ; and the way to 

 secure this is to establish a local museum, and to let it be known (which 

 is very easy) that all treasure-trove brought there will find a ready pur- 



