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The President’s Address. Q57 
whose presence will be so much missed as that of our old friend, Mr. 
George Matcham. We may congratulate ourselves, however, in 
seeing among us one whom I may describe as being, so far as this 
- Society is concerned, a link between the present and the past, who 
contributed so much to the success of the former, who will contribute 
I hope little less to the prosperity of the present meeting here, one 
who has acquired a well-deserved reputation, as among the best of 
English Archxologists—the Rev. Canon Jackson, the first and for 
many following years, the manager of the Magazine, and one of the 
principal supporters of this and so many other meetings. To him 
and to others, I must leave the duty of pointing out to you the 
principal objects to be looked at during your excursions, and avail 
myself of the opportunity to offer a few remarks upon the subject of 
archeological science generally. 
Every kind of research that helps to bring out the ancient history 
of the institutions under which we live—-our language, laws, customs, 
arts, science, or religion, comes under the head and falls within the 
scope of Archeology. So, taking a general view of the many 
different researches that are now being carried on into antiquity, 
what is the result? It is, that all who are so employed, are con- 
tributing, more or less, and assisting one another, in throwing light 
upon the history of the land we live in. 
Take, in so very broad a subject, an example or two. Say, the 
_ Archeology of Language—rather an important step towards any 
History. Here we have first, Words. Then, Words combined and 
variously pronounced become Tongues and Dialects. It is, I fancy, 
true enough, that most people not only call places by familiar 
names, without knowing what those names are derived from: but 
that we use our common speech, as we use the common air, or the 
common coin of the realm: as a convenient medium provided, some- 
how or other, for handy exchange, and nothing more. But the truth 
is that there is a great deal of curious History concealed in names 
and words of every kind. Without going a long way off, does 
everybody here know the meaning of “ Warminster’ which has 
nothing to do with war?—of “Clay-hill,” where there is no clay? 
—of ‘“Coal-harbour,” where there is neither coal, nor a harbour? 
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