President's Address. 123 



attended the labours of a diligent archaeologist in collecting the 

 finest specimens, very many of which are unique, from every avail- 

 able source. The Committee of this Society will doubtless have 

 occasion another day to publish much of exceeding interest with 

 regard to this magniBcent Museum, and must content itself at 

 present with this brief notice. And now turning again to the 

 work more immediately before it, it desires in concluding this 

 Report to assure its members that so far from exhausting the 

 objects which it is its province to discover, examine, and elucidate, 

 as has been surmised, research only seems to develope new fields of 

 enquiry ; and the Committee earnestly trusts that the members of 

 this Society will not relax in their efforts while so much of interest 

 remains to be examined, and while this county, pre-eminently 

 remarkable for its antiquities, and with several branches of its 

 fauna yet undescribed, offers such ample opportunities for years to 

 come both to the antiquarian and the naturalist." 



At the conclusion of the Report, Mr. Cunnington endorsed the 

 encomiums passed upon the Blackmore Museum at Salisbury, and 

 expatiated on the value of that unrivalled collection. 



The Report was then unanimously adopted ; the General Secre- 

 taries, Treasurer, Local Secretaries, (with the additions of Dr. 

 Meeres for Melksham, and Mr. Astley for Hungerford) ; and Com- 

 mittee (with the addition of Mr, Robert Clark, Devizes), were 

 re-appointed. 



The President then proceeded to deliver the following address. 



PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 



In opening the Meeting of our local Archaeological and Natural 

 History Society, I will make no pretence of deep research. I have 

 neither studied Stukeley, nor Bowles and Duke. I cannot tell you 

 who constructed Wansdj'ke, nor what were the relations to each 

 other of Avebury and Stonehenge, nor whether Eddington, Hed- 

 dington, or Yatton Down, is the scene of Alfred's victory. I 

 cannot trace the races of men whose bones or ashes we are disturb- 

 ing in our barrows, nor the Fauna and Flora vanishing under our 

 extended cultivation. I cannot discriminate those ferruginous 



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