94 The Forty-Third General Meeting. 
which he had come to the rescue with a carriage after the breakdown 
in the morning, and for his permission to visit the grounds and 
mansion of Stourhead. 
The CHURCH having been first inspected, Sir Henry anp 
Lavy Hoare then accompanied the party by the walks winding 
round the lake to the “PANTHEON,” and so up the hill to the 
house. This walk was certainly one of the greatest treats of the 
year’s excursions. The ever-changing views of the lake and its 
islands, and the steep and varied slopes on either side, covered to 
the water’s edge with magnificent trees, make a picture whose 
loveliness—in its own way—is certainly not to be matched in 
Wiltshire, and probably in but few places in England, whilst the 
constant succession of fine specimens of rare conifers planted beside 
the walks are in themselves a feast to those happy persons who have 
the love of trees in their hearts. By the time the party had arrived 
at the HOUSE there remained but a few minutes in which to look 
at the pictures, the portrait of Sir R. Colt Hoare, and the Memling 
triptych, and to do hasty justice to the “light refreshments ” kindly 
provided by Sir Henry Hoare, before the Secretary’s horn once 
more called the party to the carriages, which were waiting for them 
at this point. Passing through KILMINGTON there was just time 
to jump out and look at the interesting tower of the Church (the 
only point of interest about the building), in which the Hartgills 
took refuge from Lord Stourton, before proceeding on down the 
break-neck hill by the private road through the woods to WITHAM. 
Here the very remarkable vaulted and apsidal Norman Church of 
the Carthusians, with its old work successfully scraped and scarified 
out of all semblance of antiquity, was inspected, and the party 
returned to the station to await the 5.36 train, by which they were 
to be dispersed to their respective homes. So ended the Meeting 
of 1896, with its varied and delightful programme—the pictures of 
LONGFORD, the gardens of MOTTISFONT, ROMSEY ABBEY, and 
the grounds of STOURHEAD, all seen to the best advantage under 
the admirable guidance and arrangements of Mr. Doran Wess, 
to whom the Society owes a debt of enduring gratitude for the 
labour and trouble he expended so ungrudgingly on the organization 
