Anniversary Address. 9 



it is a guarantee for its preservation. From time to time 

 curiosities are being found of which every trace is presently 

 lost. You ought to be on the outlook for such discoveries, 

 and if not experts yourselves, draw to them the attention of 

 those who are. Every opportunity ought to be taken of 

 making known that the under of antiquities in precious 

 metal can claim their value from the public authorities, and 

 will be better recompensed than by secret trafficking, in 

 which he is sure to be over-reached since no honourable man 

 will meet him in such a transaction. If these and other 

 obvious suggestions arising from reflection and experience 

 were generally acted on, antiquarians would not be so often 

 chagrined by learning when it is too late that ornaments or 

 implements, or coins, have been destroyed or lost which 

 might have contributed to the solution of unsettled questions. 

 Let us therefore consider ourselves as so many detached 

 sentinels from the army of science, whose duty it is to bring 

 into full light all new discoveries made in our district, and 

 to guard antiquities already known from everything that 

 would anticipate the inevitable wear of time. 



My last duty is to propose the name of a member to fill 

 the office of President during the coming year. The selec- 

 tion which awaits your sanction has not been made on 

 merely local grounds; Mr Middleinas of Alnwick is a gentle- 

 man known to all the members not only as a zealous co- 

 operator in our work, but as a permanent official and most 

 successful administrator of our affairs. I have no doubt that 

 his nomination will be unanimously confirmed. 



