130 The Twenty-first General Meeting. 



have only one life, but man lias certainly two distinct lives, which 

 are governed by entirely different laws. The life which is confined 

 to animals is called animal life, that which is common to both 

 animals and vegetables is called organic life. In his organic life 

 man exists solely for himself, he is simply like a vegetable limited 

 to the process of digestion, circulation and nutrition, in common 

 with plants ; but in his animal life it is different, all the organs are 

 essentially symmetrical, and a very slight departure from the ordinary 

 type impairs their action. The life which we have in common with 

 vegetables never sleeps, and if its movements entirely cease only 

 for a single instant, they cease for ever. But the other life you may 

 refresh, not only in sleep, but even when you are awake ; you can 

 walk while you rest the brain, or use one eye, or one hand, and rest 

 the other. Now let us go back to archaeology. Walter Scott, in 

 his " Monastery/'' shows the pleasure to be derived from mild 

 archaeology, in the autobiography of Captain Clutterbuck, who as a 

 retired soldier, first tries fishing, then shooting*, then a turning-lathe, 

 and then books, but all failed in giving- him the required occupation. 

 In fishing* he lost his line and hooks, and got no fish ; in shooting* 

 he got laughed at for missing*; the turning-lathe nearly took his 

 fingers off; and the books sent him to sleep; until at last he had 

 nothing* to do but to walk into the churchyard and whistle till 

 dinner time. In conclusion, the President quoted an ancient docu- 

 ment, 170 years old, to prove the truth of what Mr. Bouverie had 

 said, that the idea was unfounded which had cf late years obtained 

 credit, and that, though the rich might be richer now than in the 

 days of old, it was very certain that the poor are not poorer. 



On the motion of the Rev. A. C. Smith a hearty vote of thanks 

 was accorded to the President, who then formally declared the new 

 Museum and Library open, and congratulated the meeting on the 

 thoroughly satisfactory manner in which its object had been accom- 

 plished. Great credit was due to their Secretaries and to several 

 other gentlemen, prominent among whom was Mr. Meek, for the 

 valuable assistance they had rendered, and the hard work that they 

 had done. He would urge upon all to remember the value of articles, 

 even of a trilling nature, which afforded some evidence of the past, 



