8 The Thirty-Ninth General Meeting. 



by an inner circle of birds and an outer circle of beasts, amongst 

 which a lion, a leopard, and a tiger still remain fairly perfect — their 

 attitudes, expressions, and colouring being rendered in a singularly 

 spirited way — evidently' by an artist who knew the beasts themselves 

 in life (see Buckman and Newmarch's " Remains of Roman Art in 

 Cirencester.") 



Mk. Cbipps also exhibited at his own house a large collection of 

 Roman objects, coins, fibulae, armillse, bronze and bone pins, bodkins, 

 spatulse, glass, and pottery, including many fine Samian examples 

 of bowls, &c., which had recently been found during building 

 operations on his property — together with choice examples of English 

 silver plate, and many other objects of interest. 



The next proceeding was the Dinner at the King's Head Hotel, 

 during which a thunderstorm raged outside. The speeches were 

 cut short — the only toast besides that of the Queen being introduced 

 by the Chairman very happily by the following story. In ancient 

 days there was a long-standing feud between the Worshipful Company 

 of Skinners and the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors, of 

 London, and the quarrel became so serious that the Lord Mayor 

 was called in to mediate. He decided that the dispute should be 

 settled by each company entertaining the other in alternate years. 

 The Chairman said he was dining with the Merchant Taylors on 

 one of these interesting occasions, and the toast of the evening was 

 proposed in this form : " Merchant Taylors and Skinners, Skinners 

 and Merchant Taylors, root and branch, long may they flourish 

 together.^' In the same form he would propose the toast : " The 

 Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, the Bristol 

 and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society ; the Bristol and Glou- 

 cestershire Archffiological Society, the Wiltshire Archaeological and 

 Natural History Society, root and branch, long may they flourish 

 together ! " 



The Conversazione was held in the Town Hall, the first paper 

 being read by Mrs. Bagnall Oakely, on three panels in Dagling- 

 worth Church with Saxon sculptured figures, apparently originally 

 portions of a reredos. Mrs. Bagnall Oakeley called attention to the 

 difierence of treatment of the same subjects by the Saxon, the Irish, 



