The Thirty -Fifth General Meeting. 



139 



of the traditions of the Church which had taken place in that im- 

 mediate neighbourhood. It seemed perfectly absurd that such places 

 as Malmesbury and Lacock should be separated from Salisbury. It 

 was very absurd that the rectory of such a representative Wiltshire 

 antiquary as they had in Canon Jackson should be outside the 

 Diocese of Salisbury. He feared that nothing could be done to 

 undo this mistake on the part of some of their predecessors : on 

 whom the blame rested he did not know. Nothing could be done, 

 he supposed; but he would say this --that if the Society thought 

 fit to invite him to go across the borders of the diocese (of course 

 with the leave of the Bishop of Gloucester) he should very much 

 enjoy any such excursion into that part of North Wilts which was 

 separated from the Diocese of Salisbury. He did not know what 

 the previous line of excursion had been, but he just threw that out 

 now. at the beginning of this Meeting, and wished to say that, 

 though he was very grateful to the Committee for having provided 

 for a Meeting within the Salisbury borders for this year, still, he 

 would be very glad, if they were spared to live to next year, if he 

 were invited to act as President of their Meeting somewhere within 

 the borders of his brother of Gloucester, within this great County of 

 Wilts. He thought that just as they had seen the Lambeth Con- 

 ference throw out feelers to all the Churches outside — to the Scandi- 

 navians, to the old Catholics, and to many others — the Greeks far 

 distant and to others nearer— saying it was thought desirable that 

 renewed affectionate intercourse should be established between 

 different parts of the Christian Church, unhappily divided from one 

 another ; so he would like to throw out a feeler in his own way, 

 and to feel himself at home, as President of the Wiltshire Archaeo- 

 logical Society, within that part of the county which unfortunately 

 was no longer an integral part of the diocese. He would now ask 

 their leave to close this Meeting. He could only repeat the hope 

 that they might hear others very much better worth hearing than 

 himself, and that they might do what he believed was one of the 

 most important parts of gatherings like that — learn to know one 

 another personally very much better at the end of the three days 

 than they did now. 



