THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. XXX111. 



appreciation of them, and Dr. Raven in his last letter speaks of the beautiful 

 engravings. To turn, in conclusion, to quite a different subject, should not the 

 Club take its share in printing some of the many historical MSS. which relate to 

 the county, and are contained mainly in the Record Office and in the MS. depart- 

 ment of the British Museum Library? We all remember reading of the 

 disastrous fire which on January 10th last destroyed most of the contents of the 

 Italian National Library at Turin, including a priceless collection of ancient 

 MSS. ; but we do not all realise that, if a calamity should ever befal the Record 

 Office, the very fountain of history English and county would be irreparably 

 dried up. To minimise the consequences of such a catastrophe, every such 

 society as ours should print and circulate in its transactions copies of historical 

 MSS. which relate to the county and exist in the public records. A fire might 

 destroy a library, but no imaginable disaster could destroy 400 copies of a work 

 distributed over a considerable area. A body of subscribers has been formed for 

 printing "Dorset Records," but "Dorset Records" is not so well known or so 

 well supported as it should be. Its publications should be in every gentleman's 

 library in Dorset. The subscription is 10s. 6d., and the Secretary is Mr. Gr. S. 

 Fry, 172, Edmund Street, Birmingham. On account of the fewness of the 

 subscribers, printing is not going on so fast as it should do ; but, although some 

 valuable volumes have already been issued Dorset Wills and Administrations, 

 Dorset Feet of Fines and Inquisitiones Post Mortem, and Parish Registers 

 "Dorset Records" cannot alone carry out all the work that should be done in 

 this direction. 



The Presidential Address then followed, on the conclusion of 

 which Captain ELWES rose and proposed a vote of thanks to the 

 out-going President. 



They had found him everything that could be desired in a President of such a 

 society. Not only had he made his mark by the extraordinarily lucid and 

 interesting summaries of the year which he had delivered that day and twelve 

 months ago, but they had also all felt that in him they had had a fit head of a 

 county club. They were especially indebted to Lord Eustace Cecil for the efforts 

 which he had made in obtaining important accessions to the membership, as was 

 shown by the fact that the Club was now supported by the most influential 

 residents in the county, and was assuming its proper position. And he felt sure 

 that, although no longer occupying the presidency, Lord Eustace would continue 

 to forward the interests of the Club socially as well as scientifically. 



Mr. R. BOSWORTH SMITH said that he rose to second the vote 

 of thanks with great pleasure. 



Lord Eustace Cecil had said, in beginning his address, that he was about to read it 

 with mingled pleasure and regret. He could only say that, for himself and for most 

 of them, the regret with which they had heard it was even more prominent in 

 their minds than the pleasure. It was a great loss that they were suffering in his 



