13 



visitors gave the excursion a turn chiefly geological, the botany of the spots visited 

 may be said to have been left almost unexamined. 



At 4 p.m., the explorers assembled to a substantial dinner at the Crown Inn. 

 The President of the Club, Mr. R. M. Lingwood, presided at dinner ; Mr. M. J. 

 Scobie, the Hon. Secretary, officiating as vice-chairman. The company also in- 

 cluded Sir R. I. Murchison, Mr. Strickland, Rev. P. B. Brodie, Rev. T. T. Lewis, 

 Bridstow ; Rev. W. S. Symonds, Pendock ; Rev. R. Holmes, Elder.sfield ; Rev. 

 A. Kent, Minor Canon of Gloucester Cathedral ; Dr. Gilliland, Dr. Lingen, Dr. 

 Rowan, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Cam, Mr. Stone, Mr. DeBoinville, Mr. Otte, Mr. 

 Ballard, Mr. A. Thompson, and Mr. Flavell Edmunds. 



The cloth having been removed, the Chairman gave the healths of the Queen, 

 Prince Albert, and the Royal Family, which were duly honoured. 



The Chairman then gave the health of "The Honorary Members," coupling 

 with the toast the names of Sir Roderick Murchison, Mr. Strickland, and Mr. 

 Brodie, whose presence at that Meeting the Members felt to be a great honour 

 and privilege. (Applause). 



Sir R. I. Murchison, in acknowledging the compliment, said that he felt the 

 greatest interest in Herefordshire, as the County which iiad furnished so many 

 important facts for the development of the Silurian system ; and he was tlierefore 

 much gratified to find tiiat a Club had been formed for the further investigation of 

 the geology and natural history of this interesting county. He almost considered 

 himself a Herefordshire man, for another reason. The company wixs aware that 

 there was a regiment called "the 3(jth, or Herefordshire Regiment." As a young 

 ensign in that regiment at the age of 10, he had tiie honour of carrying a colour 

 at the Battle of Vimiera. The Duke of Wellington wa.s just beliind them at the 

 charge, and expres.sed himself delighted with the steadiness of the men in making 

 it. His Grace, in fact, devoted a whole paragraph in one of his despatches to a 

 description of that charge ; a compliment which he has paid in no other instance 

 to the charge of a single regiment. Two-thirds of the men in the SGth at that 

 battle were actually natives of Herefordshire. This old reminiscence had just 

 occurred to him, and he mentioned it as one of the reasons why he felt such an 

 interest in this beautiful county. (Applause). 



Mr. Strickland begged also to return thanks for the honour conferred upon 

 him. He felt great interest in the Club, and thought, as it had come into the 

 world so healthy and vigorous, they might be interested to learn something of its 

 parentage. The first Club of the kind was established at Berwick ; and, as it had 

 proved very useful, the idea was adopted by some gentlemen in Gloucestershire. 

 The Club which they formed was called the Cotteswold Club ; and its labours had 

 been the means of aiding greatly in the investigation of the natural history, &c., of 

 the Cotteswold range and its vicinity. He was happy to find that the Woolhope 

 Club, its sire the Cotteswold Club, and its grandsire the Berwick Club, were all 

 flourishing and useful ; and he hoped that similar institutions would be formed in 

 other counties. Perhaps one means of assisting each other's progress would be for 



