126 



The Twentieth General Meeting. 



were I to attempt to enumerate the numerous and varied contributions 

 which have occupied its pages, but I might say that Canon Jackson 

 has always proved himself a constant contributor upon mattersrelating 

 to county history, and Mr. A. C. Smith has made very many interest- 

 ing contributions on ornithology. It must be, I think generally 

 admitted that very few counties, if any, possess so many ancient 

 remains, or finer fields for research and study, than are to be met 

 with in this county, whether pre-historic or otherwise. I shall not 

 attempt to air any theories of my own respecting the particular epoch 

 of Stonehenge or Abury, though I should incline to think — for 

 opinions widely differ upon it — that the latter was the most ancient 

 of the two temples, and must have existed in the period of the ancient 

 Britons. In immediate connection with this Society I may, perhaps, 

 be permitted to call your attention to the magnificent Museum at 

 Salisbury, founded in 1864 by Mr. William Blackmore, a native of 

 that town, to whose patriotism and liberality this Society and 

 the county generally are deeply indebted, and which contains a very 

 complete and well-arranged collection of fossils and ancient remains. 

 In addition to this you will be glad to hear that this Society will 

 very shortly open and inaugurate a new Museum and Library at 

 Devizes, which will prove a valuable depository of its collections. 

 It will be remembered that when this Society paid its first visit to 

 Swindon, in 1861, that Uffington Castle, with its "White Horse, 

 Wayland Smith's cave, and the picturesque villages under the chalk 

 downs, formed the chief objects of interest, besides the old Manor 

 House at Liddington, which at one time belonged to my ancestors. 

 I shall not now attempt to enlighten you upon any subject matter 

 in connection with Swindon and its surroundings, upon which Mr. 

 Jefferies, of Coate, has very kindly undertaken to read a paper. 

 Were I to do so I should feel that I was poaching on his manor, but 

 I will now proceed to give you a brief detail of what we are going 

 to visit during our two days' excursions, of which the circular sent 

 out contains a programme. I know not what may be thought of us for 

 carrying our explorations into an adjoining county, but I am certain 

 that to those archaeologists who have not seen the ancient parish 

 churches of Cirencester and Fairford, besides other objects of interest 



