The Opening Meeting. 



287 



he was equally interested and surprised with what the chairman had 

 told them, as he had carried them much farther hack in the subject 

 of archaeology than he had expected. He had looked for some re- 

 marks on the history as concerned man, but he found the chairman 

 had gone much deeper into the subject and had carried them back 

 into the history of the soil itself. From what the speaker knew of 

 Mr. Maskelyne he felt sure their society had taken a step that would 

 prove of immense advantage to them, and from the care in which 

 he had prepared the paper read he felt confident that as President of 

 their Society he would advance their prospects during his term of 

 office. (The vote was carried with acclamation.) 



The Vicar of Andover, The Rev. C. Collier, F.S.A., President 

 of the Andover Archaeological Society, then read a very interesting 

 paper on " Andover and its Neighbourhood," which will be found in 

 an after part of this Magazine. 



Mr. W. W. Ravenhtll, Recorder of Andover, thought that one 

 of the most pleasing duties that had ever fallen upon him fell upon 

 him now, and that was to propose a vote of thanks to Mr. Collier 

 for his able paper. From his reports they would get a most valuable 

 history of the town, one worthy of the town, and one worthy of his 

 long-tried experience in one of the most archaeological of towns- 

 Winchester. It was a happy thought for the Wilts Archaeological 

 Society to come here, where parts of Wilts could easily be reached ; 

 and it was also a happy thought that they came here before Mr. 

 Collier was translated to a bishopric. From the first, Mr. Collier, 

 their kind Mayor, and everybody in the town had given them much 

 assistance, and a very warm welcome, and in saying that he thought 

 he had said enough for the present. 



The Mayor said he was very pleased indeed to have the oppor- 

 tunity of seconding the vote of thanks to Mr. Collier for his very 

 able paper. He was sure it was most interesting, especially to the 

 inhabitants, and very gratifying to find that he had gone so deeply 

 into the matter, and searched (as he must have done) to get so 

 much information to place before them on this occasion. There 

 was only one thing to which he would allude, and that was to the 

 point that, as Mayor of the Borough, he happened to be the custodian 



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