Wednesday, July 28t/i. 



7 



it is true, three out of the four places visited were outside the 

 boundaries of our county, but were none the less interesting on 

 that account — the main feature of the day's excursion being that, 

 contrary to our usual custom, the Members had ample time to see 

 each place visited well — a condition which did not obtain on the 

 next day's excursion. The weather was very good on the whole 

 for the purpose in hand, a slight mizzly rain which fell at Farleigh 

 for a while was not enough to do any harm, and the remainder of 

 the day was dry and free from heat and dust. 



At the Conversazione at the Town Hall, in the evening, 

 only some thirty-one persons were present, but what was lacking 

 in numbers was made up for by the interest taken in the papers 

 read. Dr. John Beddoe, F.R.S., led off with an address on 

 " The Ethnology Of Wilts," a subject which has hardly been 

 touched hitherto by the Society, and on which no one could speak 

 with so much authority as himself. Several Members joined in 

 the discussion which followed the address — the Bishop of Clifton 

 asking whether any explanation could be given of the great number 

 of serfs in Gloucestershire mentioned in Domesday, whilst Mil. 

 W. H. Bell reminded the Doctor of the presence of Palaeolithic 

 man in the river drift of Salisbury, Mr. Colboune and Mu. C. 

 Simpson asked questions as to the " Wiltshire Eye " spoken of by 

 Dr. Beddoe in one of his works as characteristic of Wiltshire 

 recruits in the army, and the Rev. E. H. Gtoddard asked whether 

 Dr. Beddoe would assign any importance as a race characteristic 

 to the great difference in intonation and accent which undoubtedly 

 exists between North and South Wilts, and to the way in which 

 the southern accent is found more especially developed in certain 

 districts. Dr. Beddoe thought this a line of investigation that 

 might be followed with profit, and the results of which would 

 probably point to differences of race. He had not, however, 

 himself paid any attention to it. 



The Rev. A. D. Hill, Vicar of Downton, then read a, p;i pri- 

 on discoveries quite recently made at Breamore Church, just 

 over the Hampshire border, illustrated by drawings and rubbings 

 of a curious inscription — from which it appears that the walls ami 



