122 The Fourteenth General Meeting. 



vened from the death of his father, most graciously acceded to our 

 wishes to make him our patron ; nor can we omit the name of Mr. 

 Merriman, whose exertions and good-will towards us during our 

 meeting at Marlborough will not be readily forgotten by those 

 who were present on that occasion. 



" We have however added many new names to our list ; the total 

 number of members now on our books amounting to 331 ; while 

 the son of our late patron, the present Marquis of Lansdowne, has 

 most cordially accepted the office of Patron, held by his father and 

 grandfather since the day when the latter gifted nobleman presided 

 at the inauguration of this Society in 1853. 



" With regard to finance but little need be said, inasmuch as the 

 balance-sheet but lately placed in the hands of members speaks for 

 itself, showing as it does a balance in hand of upwards of £200. 



" During the past twelvemonths two more numbers of the 

 Magazine concluding the tenth volume have been published, which 

 the Committee trusts has not been found inferior in interest to the 

 preceding volumes. 



'•' The Museum and Library have also been increased by many 

 donations, the particulars of which have already appeared in the 

 later numbers of the Magazine. 



" But in speaking of the work which has been done during the 

 last twelvemonths, we may say that archaeology at all events has 

 not been at a stand-still in Wiltshire. Within the present month 

 a Museum has (through the unbounded liberality of an individual) 

 been opened at Salisburj', which, in regard to the collections of 

 the period to which it is strictly confined, is believed to be quite 

 unrivalled. Limited for the most part as it is to the stone age, as 

 it is called, or the relics which bear the impress of man's work- 

 manship of the very earliest periods of the human race ; and 

 gathered as the various specimens which compose it have been from 

 the United States of America, from Canada, from Peru, from 

 France, from Denmark, from Ireland, and from various parts of 

 this kingdom : that collection now remains within our county, 

 through the munificence of the founder, a monument not only of 

 the generosity of Mr. Blackmore, but of the success which has 



