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The Seventh General Meeting. 



yoking neither jealousy on the one hand, nor apathy on the other, 

 (the day for ridicule of such pursuits as it has in view being hap- 

 pily gone by) ; and the Committee desires here once for all to express 

 its hearty thanks for the cordial co-operation and the ready atten- 

 tion and liberality it has so universally met with, not only from 

 those already enrolled among its adherents, but also from others of 

 all ranks and classes hitherto unconnected with the Society." 



The Rev. Canon Jackson, at the invitation of the Right Hon. 

 Chairman, then proceeded to read a paper on the History of 

 Swindon and its neighbourhood. 



At -the close of the paper, there being still some little time to 

 spare before the hour appointed for the dinner, the company sepa- 

 rated into two parties; one, under the direction of Mr. Moore 

 F.G.S. and Mr. W. Cunnington, proceeded to explore the Swindon 

 quarries, and the other to inspect the various articles of interest 

 composing the temporary Museum, formed in the room in which 

 the meeting had been held. 



THE DINNER. 



The Society's Dinner took place at the Goddard Arms Hotel. 

 Two haunches of venison were presented by the Marquis of Ailes- 

 bury, and Mr. Westmacott seemed to have spared neither trouble 

 nor expense to provide for his guests. Seventy-five ladies and 

 gentlemen sat down, including the majority of those who attended 

 the general meeting. The chair was occupied by the Right Hon. 

 T. H. S. Estcourt. 



After the usual loyal toasts ; in the course of a reply to that of 

 the Bishops and Clergy, the Rev. Prebendary Fane said that he 

 happened to be the Treasurer of the Diocesan Church Building 

 Society, and he would make bold to say that the interests of the 

 Church and the interests of this Archseological Society were abso- 

 lutely synonymous terms, the great field of inquiry and research 

 for archseologists being, in reality, among our churches. There 

 were, at this moment, in the Diocese of Salisbury, as many as 40 

 churches either under restoration or requiring immediate attention ; 

 and when he mentioned that many others might be added to the 



