BURTON NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 159 
I proceed to read some extracts from the Inaugural Address, 
in which Sir Oswald Mosley says: “I will now explain to you 
somewhat more fully than the Circular we have issued, may 
have done, the origin and purpose of the Society formed in 
this town for the promotion of those objects to which I have 
invited your attention; and here I should not be doing justice 
to the memory of a lady (the late Mrs. Abney, of Stapenhill), 
who, during a longer life than falls to the lot of most mortals, 
devoted her superior talents to the study of Natural History, 
and even at her advanced age painted many of the specimens 
she procured with wonderful accuracy, if I did not attribute to 
hey industry the first formation of our present Society. For- 
tunately for us the latter part of her life was passed in this 
vicinity, and with that liberality which always accompanies 
true science, she was ever willing and desirous to exhibit the 
collection she had made to those who took pleasure in such 
pursuits. Many happy hours had been thus passed by myself 
and several of the friends around me. Upon her lamented 
decease, however, the collection was offered to public sale, 
and the possibility of the neighbourhood being deprived of it 
became a source of uneasiness to those who were acquainted 
with its valuable contents. The plan of contributing in shares 
for the purchase of the most desirable of her specimens was 
suggested, and no sooner suggested than adopted by many of 
the friends of science in Burton and its vicinity. Thus the 
foundation was laid of our present museum, but upon that 
foundation such a noble superstructure has been erected by 
the liberal contributions of gifts and valuable deposits, that 
We may even, at this our first opening, submit our treasures to 
the inspection of the public with some degree of confidence 
and satisfaction. For the present state of our museum | 
beg to refer you to the Report, which will shortly be read, 
and in which it is fully detailed, but I would briefly draw your 
attention to the chief objects we had in view when we decided 
on its formation, and then leave you to judge how far we have 
