The Eighth General Meeting. 



239 



The Chairman begged to observe that he had received a very 

 kind letter from Lord Westminster about a month ago, in reply to 

 a communication of his own, having reference to the present meet- 

 ing. His Lordship expressed great regret that circumstances would 

 not allow him to be present, and intimated that he felt great interest 

 in the success of the meeting. It would be his business, as President, 

 to write to his Lordship, giving him some little account of what had 

 passed, and he was not without hope that they might be allowed to 

 continue the investigation. He suspected that many curiosities were 

 lying hidden in the soil of Shaftesbury, and with the assistance of 

 such an able Curator as Mr. Batten, a great deal might be discovered 

 of considerable interest to all antiquaries. Mr. Estcourt then pro- 

 posed the health of Mr. Alfred Seymour and Mr. Grove of Fern. 



Mr. Grove said he felt extremely grateful for the very kind manner 

 in which they had drunk his health. He wished that he could 

 have done more to promote the success of the meeting. He had 

 many old parchments and other things which he should have been 

 glad to have shown to the Society, but unfortunately he had been 

 unable to lay his hand upon them at the proper moment. Mr. Grove 

 of Zeals, also had some curious things, but he had been obliged to 

 leave home. 



Mr. Alfred Seymour said he was exceedingly glad to have been 

 of assistance to the Society in sending to the Museum such things 

 as he had either collected in his travels, or inherited. He rejoiced 

 to find that the Society had crossed the border, and availed itself 

 of the hospitality of a town so ancient and so renowned in history 

 as the one in which they were then assembled. He only regretted 

 that Dorsetshire, with which he was very closely connected, was 

 unable to boast of a sister Society, but that was a want which he 

 also hoped to see remedied ere long. 



The Chairman said the success and pleasantness of their meetings 

 had always been greatly enhanced by the presence of ladies ; and 

 for himself he thought nothing was so stupid as the old fashion of 

 gentlemen dining alone, and leaving the ladies to come in in the 

 evening. He rejoiced to see so many ladies present at that table, 



