34 PAPERS, ETC. 



whose very name every lover of anclent music must hold 

 in nothing short of veueration, I certainly feit that anything 

 I could produce v/ould be very unvvorthy the attention of 

 an assembly accustomed to be entertained by such deeply 

 edifying efFusions as these. Still I have persevered in my 

 intention of bringing the subject I proposed before this 

 meeting, and I have done so because I conceive that such 

 an association as the present, is as a vast river to receive 

 the trlbutary streams, hovvever insignificant in themselves, 

 of the surrounding district, and to waft the general influence 

 of these to places which otherwise would be unaffected by 

 them. 



I presume, also, that it is of great importance that a 

 record of the actual state of any monument, at a given 

 time, and especially of churches, should existin some central 

 depository, and be accessible to persons who may have an 

 interest in such objects. And although the general and 

 more scientific papers will be the most interesting, yet the 

 dry detailed account of individual churches may, after all, 

 prove the most valuable. From no little experience and 

 Observation on such subjects, I have good reason to know 

 that the account of a church, or, indeed, of any public 

 monument, requiring restoration, is seldom read without 

 good effect, and I might add that it very rarely happens 

 that any general interest can be excited in the cause with- 

 out some detailed account being brought, in this manner, 

 before the public. 



I have, therefore, as I said, persevered in my intention to 

 bring forward the subject of this Paper, though I confess 

 most sincerely that I am ahnost ashamed to bring it forward 

 in so superficial a manner as I am now compelled to do, 

 from want of time to devote myself to this special object, 

 which, to handle properly, requires the investigation of 



