The Annual Dinner. 19 



guided the musicians of that period in its execution. He then 

 proposed the health of the President of the meeting, the Right 

 Hon. Sidney Herbert; the health of Mr. Poulett Scrope, M.P. 

 That of the Secretaries, the Rev. J. E. Jackson, and the Rev. 

 W. C. Lukis, was then given, and acknowledged by those gentlemen. 

 Mr. Jackson expressed himself highly gratified by the encourage- 

 ment afforded to the Society in the city of Salisbury, and mentioned 

 that the association had that day received an accession of no fewer 

 than 77 names, chiefly from the south of Wilts. 



The Rev. A. Fane, in a humourous and effective speech, in the 

 course of which he referred to the general and deserved respect in 

 which John Britton, Esq. was held by all archaeologists, proposed 

 the health of "Mrs. Britton and the Ladies." 



Mr. Britton said, were he fifty years younger, and possessed the 

 knowledge and experience he had now, he might probably tell them 

 a story of his adventures in the world of archseology, art, and 

 science, that would amuse them, excite their curiosity, and tend to 

 promote their progress in the subject before them. Were he pos- 

 sessed of the quick and ready wit of the Mayor of this ancient and 

 interesting city, and were he possessed of the eloquence of his 

 friend who had proposed the toast, he might reward their attention 

 by comparing the state of archseology at the time when he com- 

 menced his labours, with its condition at the present moment. It 

 was then in the lowest possible grade, in the literary world, and 

 the books which were published, as well as the illustrations contained 

 in them, were but of little value. To assist him in the study of 

 archaeology, the only books were " Camden's Britannia," " Grose's 

 Antiquities," and one or two others, which abounded in as many 

 fictions as you could meet with in one of the romances of the age. 

 As they might imagine, he was often retarded by a consideration 

 of the physical impossibility of the illustrations in these precious 

 volumes being correct, and the profound incomprehensibility of 

 the letterpress. In a word, there was everything calculated to 

 impede and harass the youthful student. By means of perse- 

 \c ranee, however — more perseverance than knowledge or science — 

 he began to obtain a few glimpses of what was meant by lines in 



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