The President's Address. 



5 



amply repay the moderate cost of their production. I will now 

 turn to the subject of our present meeting. It might be asked, 

 Why did we choose Wilton as our place of congress ? Well, the 

 fact was simply this, that wishing this year to meet in the South of 

 Wilts, after last year's gathering in the North, two places were 

 proposed, viz., Westbury and Wilton. It was considered that Wil- 

 ton and its " surroundings offered a greater attraction to archaeol- 

 ogists than Westbury and its iron works, and many minor, but im- 

 portant circumstances induced us to select Wilton, and to explore 

 such portion of the district as had not been fully visited, and to 

 provide papers on such subjects which might prove new to those 

 who attended the meeting. On another occasion we hope to be 

 fortunate enough to include Trowbridge and its district with West- 

 bury, when I have no doubt we shall have an instructive and agree- 

 able assembly. As you will see by our programme, a very tolerable 

 three days' amusement is now provided for you, and I trust that 

 every one will be satisfied with the bill of fare. The Society is 

 greatly indebted to the Mayor of Wilton (William Robson, Esq.), 

 for the encouragement he has given us, and for his kindness in 

 placing the Town-hall at our disposal, while the inhabitants of this 

 ancient town are most anxious to show us attention. You will hear 

 an able paper on Wilton Church, which we inspect, by Mr. Olivier, 

 and a paper on the trial and execution of my loyal, but unfortunate 

 ancestor, Colonel John Penruddocke, by Mr. Ravenhill. Perhaps 

 this account may be interesting to the Archseologists of Exeter, 

 many of whom are here to-day, for in their city he was beheaded. 

 I shall have certain relics of this royalist to show you when you 

 visit me to-morrow. Wilton House, through the courtesy of Lady 

 Herbert, is open to our inspection, and we shall find ample food for 

 thought in the fine collection of statuary, the splendid armour, and 

 magnificent portraits, by Vandyke, of the Pembroke family. At 

 the time of writing these lines, I received the news of the loss of 

 our turret ship Captain, and that with her were engulphcd nearly 

 500 souls. God, and time alone, must console the mother for the 

 loss of her son Reginald, who went with the rest to his grave. 

 Lady Herbert may be assured that she has the sincere sympathy of 



