THE FIRST WINTER MEETING. XXX111. 



neighbour, the Lake of Neuchatel. In Munro's exhaustive work, "The Lake 

 Dwellings of Europe," it is shown that the objects recovered from the Bienne 

 district may be referred to the Stone Age or the Bronze Age ; and throughout the 

 book there are many illustrations of needles made of bone or horn, very similar to 

 that now before you, which was given to Dr. Colley March by a relative who was 

 living in the neighbourhood of the lake while the dredging was being carried on, 

 some twenty years ago. The second example was made and used by an 

 Abbotsbury fisherman. It will be noticed that the modern needle has a hole at 

 the end for taking the string, whereas the ancient one has merely a notch cut for 

 this purpose. In other respects, however, the ancient needle seems better 

 adapted for its work, as the curved shape would make it easier to use. The 

 third example was found on Jordan Hill by Mr. Cunnington, who, being 

 somewhat puzzled by its appearance, sent it to Sir John Evans for his opinion. 

 He replied: "Your curious object is, I think, of no great antiquity, and the 

 inscription on it is ' Extra Fine,' two letters being misplaced. It was possibly a 

 bodkin or needle used for sewing nets together." It has been shown to Abbots - 

 bury fishermen, who recognise it as an old tooth brush handle, which makes an 

 excellent needle for mending nets when perforated at the end. It will be seen 

 that the tooth brush handle is very much of the same shape as the needle from 

 Lake Bienne, and resembles it also as regards the material it is made of, namely, 

 bone. In this particular industry it would appear, therefore, that the 

 implements now in use are not an improvement on those made by the "Lake 

 Dwellers" of by-gone ages, and it is interesting to see them together. 



OLD SHAFTESBURY AND ORAM. The Rev. S. E. V. FILLEUL 

 showed a fine aquatint engraving of Shaftesbury, and read the 

 following interesting note on an artistic and poetical celebrity of 

 Shaftesbury in the i8th century : 



This old aquatint, by Pollard and Jukes, very scarce in colours, has some 

 interest in being, I believe, the only view of any consequence published of 

 Shaftesbury. It is taken from the west, i.e., from the Dorchester or Blandford 

 side. At the time of its publication, 1785, this old royal city was of greater 

 importance than now, but ignobly famous for the bribery and corruption of its 

 elections. Hutchins gives a long account of the celebrated petitions of that time, 

 the result being, in the case of one displaced member, fines amounting to 12,000. 

 The picture has additional interest in being the copy of a drawing by Mr. Samuel 

 Marsh Oram, a solicitor of the town, who died before reaching the age of 26. 

 Mr. Ehlvers, the Rector of Shaftesbury, has kindly given me the record of his 

 baptism from the registers. He is entered as the son of an Archelaus Oram, 

 baptised October llth, 1765. He also tells me that the name of the present town 

 crier is Mr. W. S. Oram. Hutchins mentions that the artist of this picture was 

 celebrated as the author of a little collection of sonnets and odes ; this was 



