148 ANNTJAL MEETING. 



footing (applause). A working man, a blacksmith, went to mend 

 a well ; and but for the fact that he had had the privilege of 

 having had his attention drawn to that sort of thing, he would 

 have mended the well with the stones that were now rescued, 

 and which were to be placed in Camborne Churchyard. When 

 one interesting stone had been moved, a second was found 

 beneath, and thus they had recovered two ancient crosses, 

 neither of which was previously known to have existed (applause). 

 He hoped the time would come when that Institution would 

 take steps to popularise itself in every town in the county, when 

 its Museum collection would be recognised as a county collection, 

 and opportunities would be given for exhibiting many of the 

 objects in every town with proper explanations. Then he hoped 

 they woidd have a host of subscribers, and be able to buy up a 

 street or two for such scientific purposes as those in which they 

 were engaged. 



Papers on various subjects were then presented, and 

 discussions took place. 



Mr. F. H. Davey, of Ponsanooth, contributed a paper 

 entitled " Notes on the Dry Summer of 1896." After it had 

 been read by one of the Members of the Council, the Chairman 

 remarked on several unusual incidents caused by the dry 

 weather, and the other peculiarities of the past season. At 

 Enys the camellia was blooming in October in the open air, also 

 the red rhododendron in October instead of in December, while 

 several other kinds of flowers and berries had come to maturity 

 long before the usual time, including those of the hawthorn or 

 May, the blackthorn and holly. Narcissi had been brought 

 over exceptionally early from the Scilly Isles, blackberries and 

 mushrooms had been very plentiful, and many trees had suffered 

 loss of foliage. 



Other products were also peculiarly affected. Certain 

 mackerel had been brought into Newlyn at an unusual time, 

 which were regarded as Spring fish, — and it had been stated by 

 Mr. Cornish that in Mount's Bay the temperature of the sea had 

 been lower than usual. 



The Chairman next pointed out " Various modes of obtain- 

 ing and maintaining a light," as illustrated by a Eoman lamp 

 from Alexandria, and several curious appliances which he 



