History of the Society. 21 



pended except los id. The Vice-President, James Starke, 

 delivered the annual address, choosing as his subject 

 Archaeolog-y. " He also contributed two other papers and 

 three others by W. R. M'Diarmid, T. Corrie, and Rev. 

 Thomas Underwood complete the volume of sixty-five pages, 

 which was published in 1869. 



Sessions 1867-1870. [Vol. VI.] 



The Trail suctions of these Sessions were not printed till 

 1871. The Secretary, A. D. Murray, prefaced his report for 

 1868-1869 ^\ith an ominous expression of regret that " gener- 

 ally there has not been evinced among the Members so warm 

 an interest in the success of the Society as is desirable, if it 



is to go on and prosper Owing to a considerable 



number of removals from the district, some deaths, and a few 



withdrawals, the number of Ordinary Members is 



decreased by ele\'en, leaving eighty-nine on the roll 



The Treasurer's accounts, having been examined, are now 

 before the meeting, showing a balance due him of 7s i id ... . 

 while there are arrears, the most of which will yet be 

 recovered, amounting to ;^6 15s, and no debts." The 

 Tnuisactions run to sixty-five pages, the principal papers 

 being by James Starke, William Lennon, and Dr J. Gilchrist. 



I have devoted a good deal of my address to these early- 

 days simply because, in my opinion, they are the most in- 

 teresting. We learn that our Society was, at its commence- 

 ment, small, a fact not to be wondered at when transport was 

 not so easy as it is now. The Treasurer's accounts and the 

 size of the printed Transactions may appear paltry, but the 

 chief fact that thrusts itself upon me is that our Society in 

 those days maintained its existence owing (o the energies of 

 but a few. Eminent men these were, and, in spite of being 

 thought in\idious, I would recall to your memory, as some 

 of our more famous early members. Sir William Jardine, the 

 accepted authority on natural history; Sir Arthur Mitchell, 

 the antiquary ; Dr Thomas Boyle Grierson, the keen collector, 

 who bequeathed his miscellaneous collection to Thornhill ; Dr 

 James Gilchrist, antiquary and geologist ; William R. 

 M'Diarmid, antiquary and naturalist; William Lennon, the 



