Mr. Poulett Scrope’s Address. 17 
history of separate localities or antiquarian remains, will make this 
task the easier, by preparing some of the requisite materials. 
That work will likewise be further aided by another of the 
intended objects of our Society, to which already your attention has 
been called, namely, the formation of a Central County Museum of 
Antiquities and Specimens of Natural History. 
This, indeed, is as important an element as any, in the proposals 
submitted to-day to your consideration. 
How many valuable objects are almost daily lost or dispersed, 
from want of some such means of preservation. Looking to anti- 
quities alone, there is perhaps scarcely a parish in the county in 
which some coins, ornaments, sculptured or inscribed stones, vessels, 
and similar relics, are not from time to time found, and after a 
very brief interval again lost; or, if not lost, so treated, at least, 
that their local interest, and with it their historical value, is de- 
stroyed! How many such cases must have occurred within the 
knowledge of every one of us. These articles, or the greater propor- 
tion of them, if a Central County Museum had existed, would in all 
probability have found their way there, accompanied by explanatory 
statements from which students of the County History could not 
fail to gather much valuable information. Even entire collections 
of local antiquities formed by the zeal of individuals, are not unfre- 
quently, after their decease, dispersed or rendered unavailable for 
any useful purpose, which the owners would willingly have be- 
queathed or presented to a County Museum, had any such been in 
existence. And all that I have here said applies with equal force 
to specimens illustrative of Natural History. 
I have been rejoiced to hear it announced to-day that the nucleus 
of such a treasury has been already formed, and placed at the dis- 
posal of the Association, by a committee of gentlemen who subscribed 
recently for the purchase of the Wiltshire Collections of Mr. Britton. 
These consist chiefly of models, drawings, and works relating to 
the Celtic monuments of the County, of which they form, unquestion- 
ably, the most complete collection extant. To these will, we may 
hope, be added before long, contributions from many of our members, 
who will perhaps feel to how much better a purpose they may thus 
apply objects of the kind, which they may possess, or may come into 
possession of, than by allowing them to gather dust on their 
chimney-pieces, or within rarely opened drawers or cabinets. Al- 
ready several such contributions have been sent in, at least for 
temporary inspection during the present meeting, and it is not 
improbable that on the condition of their being returned in case 
the County Museum is ever broken up, many of those which possess 
a local interest may be permitted permanently to occupy our shelves. 
It was one of the most useful results of the despotic sway of the 
Emperor Napoleon, that he established such local museums in the 
chief town of every department of France, under the superintendence 
D 
