True Principlks of Arch.^jology. 55 



quaries. A worthy g-entleman living not far from the scene 

 of our exploration assisted us in digging and searching the 

 rubbish. He claimed a couple of the beads as a reward for 

 his exertions, and we were actually so soft-hearted as to allow 

 him to carry them off. He is dead now, and the beads, if 

 they still exist, are worthless, for none of his descendants 

 know aught about their origin. 



Allow me, therefore, in conclusion, to impress upon you 

 the expedience — I will even put it so high as the obligation, 

 the duty, whenever any relic of antiquity comes into your 

 hands, of attaching a label to it without delay, stating the 

 place of origin and the circumstances of its discovery, and 

 reporting the discovery to the secretary of the Society of 

 Antiquaries. If you can rise to the disinterested firmament 

 of science you will send the objects to be preserved in the 

 National Museum of Antiquities in Queen Street, Edinburgh ; 

 for archaeology, like every exact science, is nothing unless it 

 is comparative, and the lesson of history — the knowledge of 

 the progress of our race from barbarism to its present degree 

 of culture — can only be learnt from the study by experts of a 

 very large collection of such relics. 



I surely need hardly impress upon you how largely your 

 understanding may be enriched, your imagination quickened, 

 by a comprehensive acquaintance with the course by which we 

 have attained to our present level of comfort and security. 

 Half, nay, more than half the charm of Scottish landscape is 

 derived from its association with the past. We dwellers in 

 this Border land surely do not need to be reminded of that. 

 Our fields, so often blackened by the invader's fire and soaked 

 with the blood of our forebears, are now studded with pros- 

 perous homesteads ; our towns, so often pillaged and burnt, 

 are now humming with peaceful industry. But we should do 

 ill to forget those who fought and died to secure us this 

 heritage. 



I^ong years of peace have stilled the battle thunder ; 



Wild grasses quiver where the fight was won ; 

 Masses of blossom, lightly blown asunder. 



Drop their white petals on the silent gun. 



