196 The Fortieth General Meeting, 



"An effort is being made, under the auspices of the Lord Bishop of the Diocese, 

 to compile a ' Catalogue of Portraits,' in the possession of private owners in the 

 county. The Committee commends this to its Members as a means of throwing 

 light on county history. As in the case of the Stourhead Collection, the assistance 

 and direction of experts with time and money at command, is required to bring 

 this project to a successful issue. 



'■ Following the precedent of our last report, we may call attention to some 

 notable works of preservation of ancient buildings during the past year. Chiseldon 

 Church presents a model of what so-called restoration should consist in. Happily 

 the mural monuments have been allowed to remain undisturbed on the walls of 

 the nave and chancel. The old ledger-stones forming the floor have not been 

 displaced by encaustic tiles, and there has been no scraping at all of the surface 

 of the old stone-work. 



" It was a source of much gratification to the Committee that General Pitt- 

 Rivers consented to hold the office of President for one year longer. The Society 

 has gained distinction by having bad for its President for four years one so 

 deservedly regarded as a leading authority on all archaeological matters, and who 

 has devoted time and money, health and energy to the pursuit of antiquarian 

 research, especially in connection witlvthe great prehistoric earthworks in which 

 Wiltshire abounds. The Committee will recommend that General Pitt-Rivers 

 shall be added to the list of Vice-Presidents, with a view to a more permanent 

 connection with so valued a Member of the Society. 



" Having travelled last year outside the boundary of the far northern portion 

 of the county, the Committee selected Warminster as the place for its General 

 Meeting in 1893. Meetings were held in this town in 1856 and 1877. The 

 welcome extended to the Society on both these occasions by the Marquis of Bath 

 as President, and by a large committee of the inhabitants of the town and 

 neighbourhood, encouraged the hope of a like reception in 1893. The officials of 

 the Society have been so well receiTed that they feel confident that such hope 

 will be realised." 



The President then moved that Sir H. B. Meux, Bt., be elected 

 President of the Society for the ensuing three years, which was 

 seconded by the Rev. E. H. Goddard, and carried unanimonsly. 



Mr. H. J. Wakeman proposed that General Pitt-Rivers be ap- 

 pointed a Vice-President of the Society for life, and that the Officers 

 of the Society be re-appointed. 



The Meeting then concluded, and the Members inspected the 

 various exhibits arranged in an adjoining room — the most notable 

 being two fine series of really valuable coins exhibited by Mr. T. H. 

 Baker, of Mere Down, and Mr. J. E. Halliday, of Warminster ; 

 together with a case containing twenty-eight of the famous Breme- 

 ridge Nobles {cf. vol. xxi., p. 1"21), lent by Mr. Phipps. Mr. Baker 

 also showed a large volume in which he has most carefully transcribed 



