that he had held for fifteen years ; the President bore testimony to the 

 ability and discretion shown by Mr. Nevill in the discharge of the 

 office, and a cordial vote of thanks was given to him by acclamation. 



Mr. Nevill in thanking the meeting stated that reasons of health 

 made him anxious to secure freedom from engagements ; he had 

 also always been of opinion that honorary secretaries should not 

 continue in office too long, but make way for new men ; he had wished 

 to retire some years ago, had he been able to find some one to take up 

 the work. Among the subjects that he had himself introduced, or 

 been closely associated with, were Parish Registers, Churchyard 

 Inscriptions, the Photographic Survey, the Index of Archaeological 

 Papers, Calendars of Portraits, Municipal and County Records, and 

 the proposals for the formation of Local Record Offices, which, with 

 slight modifications, had been adopted by the Royal Commission and 

 incorporated in a Bill. He had always endeavoured to arrange that 

 the Congress should take up work of various sorts, and should not 

 confine itself to one particular branch, and should keep before it as its 

 objects, not so much the promotion of pure archaeology, as the 

 assistance of the work of the local societies that it represented. The 

 prospectus of the Congress showed the large amount of important 

 work that had been done by it, and of late years the Congress had 

 been able to make valuable representations to Government, many of 

 which had had effect. The Congress had lost as members some of 

 the earlier subscribing societies, but these were of unimportant 

 character, and others of importance had joined, so that the Congress 

 could now claim to be thoroughly representative. 



Sir Edward Brabrook then, on behalf of the Council, proposed as 

 honorary secretary Mr. A. G. Chater, who had shown himself an 

 energetic secretary of the Earthworks Committee. Mr. Keyser 

 seconded this, and Mr. Chater was elected, and expressed his willing- 

 ness to accept the office. Mr. Nevill undertook to conclude the work 

 of the present Congress. 



Mr. Fry stated that as there appeared to be no chance of the 

 Congress publishing the Bibliographies of printed Calendars that had 

 been already prepared, the Committee had not taken further active 

 steps. He asked that a certain sum should be set apart for the use of 

 the Committee, and suggested that if an annual volume of Transactions 

 were issued by the Congress it would get over the inconvenience of 

 the issue of numerous small pamphlets. Mr. Phillimore supported 

 this view, and expressed the opinion that it was not necessary to print 

 copies for all members of Societies, but a limited number only. 



Mr. Nevill explained that the method in the past had been to 

 devote sums at intervals to different objects, and that he did not think 

 the funds sufficient for annual grants. The funds had lately been 

 devoted largely to Earthworks Reports, as to which something would 

 be said later ; he should like to hear the opinion of the Congress as to 

 the manner in which the Bibliographies should be published ; he 

 thought they should be completed and kept up to date, but not 

 published until a considerable number were ready so as to avoid 



