president's address. 127 



the unique, historical, and beautiful little Church, which many 

 of us had seen in bygone years, before the restoring rage had 

 begun to efface the marks of time, and modern work had been 

 made to replace the time-worn old and venerable. 



On account of the heavy rain and rising tide, we were de- 

 barred from a visit to St. Cuthbert's Isle or a search for some of 

 the " beads," which are still washed out of a shaly cliff adjoin- 

 ing the islet, where, according to the poet, 

 " On a rock by Lindisfarne," 

 St. Cuthbert sits and toils to frame 

 The sea-born beads that bear his name. 



The rain quickly drove the party to seek shelter and a luncheon 

 at the adjoining Inns, the "Northumberland Arms" and "Iron 

 Gates." The rain still continuing, the other parts of the is- 

 land were left unvisited. An umbrella procession was made to 

 the shore in search of boatman and boat. We were soon seated 

 under numerous kinds of covering, ferried across the strait, re- 

 gained our conveyances and hastened back to Belford. Despite 

 the rain which came on at mid-day every one was pleased with 

 this short visit. After dinner at the "Blue Bell" most of the 

 party returned to Newcastle ; but one or two remained for 

 another day's excursion. 



Yery few birds were seen, as most of them were away at their 

 breeding station. A pair of Herons, which were disturbed on 

 our way home, flapped slowly along over the shallow water, 

 keeping in sight for a long time, and a flock of Dunlins, driven 

 in shore by the flowing tide, were the only birds observed. 



One member, who had proceeded by way of Beal, and crossed 

 in the early morning by the sands, missed our party entirely, 

 and spent the first day in botanizing under an umbrella, and col- 

 lected most of the rarer plants still growing on the island. 



No one who had the good fortune to j oin in the Bank Holi- 

 day excursion to Wooler can ever forget the thoroughly enjoy- 

 able incidents of that expedition. Let me in the first place 

 express my gratitude, both official and personal, to our zealous 

 secretaries for the perfect arrangements, elaborated with so much 

 care and success, by which our whole programme was carried 



