2 Second General Meeting. 



however, I may say that it has been formed for the purpose of 

 encouraging and promoting, to the utmost possible degree, the study 

 of the civil and ecclesiastical history of the antiquities of our county, 

 together with its numerous objects of natural history; and for 

 disseminating as far as possible, through all ranks of society, a 

 knowledge of every fact tending to illustrate these interesting 

 subjects. It has likewise in view the formation of some central 

 museum, in which objects of interest connected with these subjects 

 should be deposited, as a place of security, instead of being lost 

 and dispersed, as it not unfrequently happens, when they remain in 

 the hands of private individuals. We hope, also, that something 

 will be done towards preserving and maintaining — and in some 

 cases restoring — the monuments of antiquity of which this county 

 is so justly proud. These being the objects of the Society, it 

 became necessary to institute some central place in which the 

 museum should be established ; and Devizes being, geographically 

 speaking, the centre of the county, that town was nominated as 

 the place where it should be deposited; and it was proposed that 

 the meetings of the working members, the committee for example, 

 should from time to time, be held there. But at the same time it 

 was remembered that unless we could secure the sanction and 

 cordial co-operation of the inhabitants of South Wilts, and especially 

 of the metropolitan city of Salisbury, it would be impossible for 

 the Society to flourish, (hear hear);, and we have, therefore, availed 

 ourselves of the earliest possible opportunity of holding a meeting 

 in this town. On the occasion of the inaugural meeting last year 

 I had the undeserved honour of being elected President ; and my 

 only object in now rising is to vacate my post, and to ask you to 

 confer it upon a gentleman much more deserving of the office, and 

 far more competent to discharge its duties. After my saying this, 

 I am sure you must be anticipating the name of the Right Hon. 

 Sidney Herbert. (Cheers). That gentleman is so well known that 

 it would be superfluous and absurd for me to speak of his merits. 

 As an archaeologist he has ample claims upon the association, pos- 

 sessing as he does one of the finest galleries of antiquities in the 

 country. (Hear, hear). I noticed in passing through Wilton 



