28 



The Thirl// -Fourth General Meeting. 



the whole of the Local Secretaries, with the exception of Dr. 

 High more (Bradford-on-Avon), who resigned on leaving' the county ^ 

 In regard to the latter, the vacancy was not filled, but the election 

 was left to the General Committee, which met in October and 

 appointed Dr. Melville Thompson. Mr. Hart and Mr. Clark were 

 re-elected auditors, on the motion of Mr. Ponting, seconded by 

 Mr. Bell. 



The Bishop read a letter from the Rev. E. Wyld, of Mere, calling 

 attention to some discoveries that had been made at the old castle 

 at Mere, and asking for advice as to how he should proceed with 

 the excavations, upon which General Pitt- Rivers consented to 

 visit Mere, in order to give Mr. Wyld the required advice. 



The Bishop said, in speaking on behalf of this Society, at the 

 Meeting of the Archaeological Institute, he was led to ask some 

 explanation how it was in so many years they had not been able to 

 carry out the object for which they were founded. These Meetings 

 were times of refreshing the Societies, but they were times also of 

 visitation, and they ought to stir up the Members to make up their 

 minds as to what they were going to do. He wanted that day to 

 put before the Members of the Society present and through them 

 those who were absent this question : — Whether they ought not to 

 begin at once to form a methodical plan for collecting materials 

 from every parish in the county so that the Magazine should not only 

 represent the private tastes and interests of Members — however 

 eminent they might be— but should cover the whole of the ground ? 

 He wanted to know if anyone could give some idea of what had 

 been done and what remained to be done ; or whether it might be 

 possible to appoint a Committee to draw up a report of what had 

 been done and with regard to what yet remained, and to construct 

 a methodical plan of putting into pigeon holes — as it were — the in- 

 formation that the future historian might want. Certain books had 

 been published upon certain matters, but it was a question whether 

 these might not be enlarged upon. At any rate a great deal re- 

 mained to be done with regard to monumental remains, for, as 

 illustrating the history of art, these must be very valuable. He 

 merely indicated now in a rough manner what he thought ought to 



