130 The Twenty-first General Meeting. 
have only one life, but man has certainly two distinct lives, which 
are governed by entirely different laws. The life which ts confined 
to animals is called animal life, that which is common to both 
animals and vegetables is called organic life. In his organic life 
man exists solely for himself, he is simply like a vegetable limited 
to the process of digestion, circulation and nutrition, in common 
with plants ; but in his animal life it is different, all the organs are 
essentially symmetrical, and a very slight departure from the ordinary 
type impairs their action. The life which we have in common with 
vegetables never sleeps, and if its movements entirely cease only 
for a single instant, they cease for ever. But the other life you may 
refresh, not only in sleep, but even when you are awake; you can 
walk while you rest the brain, or use one eye, or one hand, and rest 
the other. Now let us go back to archeology. Walter Scott, in 
his “ Monastery,” shows the pleasure to be derived from mild 
archeology, in the autobiography of Captain Clutterbuck, who asa 
retired soldier, first tries fishing, then shooting, then a turning-lathe, 
and then books, but all failed in giving him the required occupation. 
In fishing he lost his line and hooks, and got no fish; in shooting 
he got laughed at for missing; the turning-lathe nearly took his 
fingers off; and the books sent him to sleep; until at last he had 
nothing to do but to walk into the churchyard and whistle till 
dinner time. In conclusion, the President quoted an ancient docu- 
ment, 170 years old, to prove the truth of what Mr. Bouverie had 
said, that the idea was unfounded which had ef late years obtained 
credit, and that, though the rich might be richer now than in the 
days of old, it was very certain that the poor are not poorer. 
On the motion of the Rev. A. C. Smirx a hearty vote of thanks 
was accorded to the President, who then formally declared the new 
Museum and Library open, and congratulated the meeting on the 
thoroughly satisfactory manner in which its object had been accom- 
plished. Great credit was due to their Secretaries and to several 
other gentlemen, prominent among whom was Mr. Meek, for the 
valuable assistance they had rendered, and the hard work that they 
had done. He would urge upon all to remember the value of articles, 
even of a trifling nature, which afforded some evidence of the past, 

