president's address. 181 



were duly admired, the figs pronounced excellent and the garden 

 charming. One fig-tree is exceptionally large, and the grounds 

 possess a White Poplar of enormous size considering it is only 

 seventy years old. In the Castle grounds is a Spindle-tree, 

 Euonymus Europcsus, of extraordinary size, not a shrub but a 

 veritable ti^ee, which attracted immediate attention by its pecu- 

 liar and brilliant flower-like fruit. Through the prolonged dry 

 and altogether exceptionally hot weather of September this year, 

 flowers were scarce, but seed-vessels were abundant and excel- 

 lent, and foliage particularly fine and large. Crossing the road 

 by its peculiar bridge, in the remoter Castle grounds lay a dere- 

 lict eloquent of the past, in an ancient mail-coach, such as last 

 century delighted in. It looked even now almost worthy of 

 finding a home in some museum. 



Sixth Meeting, Friday, October 25th. Again we were nine, 

 and again our last visit was with the Starlings to St. Mary's 

 Island, but they were in less numbers than last year. Bright 

 weather, with some tooth in the air, made the walk from Hartley 

 Station to Seaton Delaval Hall, thence to Seaton Sluice, and on 

 to the island, a real pleasure, enlivened by the discovery of a 

 Hedgehog and two dead birds, the latter probably victims to 

 telegraph wires. 



At the Hall the ancient kitchen, the habitable rooms, and 

 some of the old paintings were hurridly scanned in the west 

 wing, and then the great hall, saloon, spiral staircases of the 

 two towers, and various rooms above and below were explored. 

 Wandering through the deserted and ruined walls of this central 

 block, admiring its handsome style and ample proportions, re- 

 gretting that so fine an English home should stand desolate and 

 forlorn, it was a positive relief to enter the little Church adjoin- 

 ing, and see its quaint and beautiful xiith century work well 

 cared for. The President pointed out the unusual separation of 

 chancel from choir and nave, and particularly the filling up of 

 the one ancient window left in the north wall. The Church was 

 en fete, as the Bishop of Newcastle (Dr. Wilberforce) was coming 

 that afternoon to consecrate an addition to the Churchyard. 



