1. 



The general appearance of these churches resembles that of a Chinese 

 pagoda more closely than a place of Christian worship. The name Dragon 

 as applied to the buildings is derived from the external decoration at the 

 end of the gables of the nave, which appears to the observer more like 

 the prows of Venetian gondolas than as dragons' heads with the tongues 

 projecting from them. The idea denoted by this seems to have been to 

 symbolise the expulsion of Paganism by Christianity which was represented 

 by the Cross on the summit of the Cupola. Another curious feature in these 

 churches was the absence of windows, all the light which entered the 

 building being admitted through six small triangular openings in the roof. 

 The decorations consisted principally of Runic patterns carved on the doors. 



The greater number of modern churches in the country were also of wood, 

 but in the towns there were some handsome buildings of stone. Of these 

 the Domkirke and the Nyekirke of Bergen are noticed ; also the two 

 really interesting stone churches of Norway the cathedrals of Stavanger 

 and Trondhjem. These contain much Norman and Early English work 

 with the mouldings and decoration with which we are familiar in buildings 

 of the same date in England. 



The Church of Solna, about three miles from Stockholm, was described. 

 This had the reputation of dating back to Pagan times. The stone work 

 of the centre and eastern portions of the church, from the shape and size 

 of the blocks and their inequality, suggested the Cyclopean walls of 

 Mycenae or Fiesole, carrying the mind back to a remote antiquity. 



Mr. T. B. Groves, F.C.S., read a paper on "The Dorset settlement in 

 Massachusetts," which he had made a point of visiting during his journey 

 to America for the meeting of the British Association at Montreal in 

 1884. The writer traced the founding of a settlement in Massachusetts by 

 the Rev. John White, who made his first attempt in 1629, and in 1630 

 succeeded in establishing himself and a party of 140, consisting chiefly of 

 several Puritans from Dorsetshire and the neighbouring counties at 

 Mattapan, which they at once re-named Dorchester. The Rev. John 

 White was rector of Holy Trinity Church in 1606, and was called the 

 Patriarch of Dorchester. He died on July 21, 1648, and was interred in 

 the porch of St. Peter's Church. His name is held in affectionate 

 remembrance by Bostonians, who sometimes journeyed to Dorchester for 

 the purpose of visiting his last resting place. The growth of Dorchester 

 was traced from 1726, when the district was 35 miles long and some six 

 or eight broad, to its incorporation with Boston, of which it is the 16th 

 ward with a population of 14,445. The settlement of Weymouth was also 

 referred to, which was regarded as an off-shoot of New Plymouth. 



The meeting terminated at five p.m. 



