10 Second General Meeting. 



to himself, especially in this city, the hearts of all classes, whether 

 rich or poor. He who is gone will thus have his memorial written 

 in our hearts or engraven in stones, still among us; and he on 

 whom his mantle has fallen will doubtless carry out, both in his 

 patronage of our Society, and every other design of usefulness, the 

 intentions of his predecessor. 



It is for this, as for other reasons, that we are glad at meeting 

 together for the first time in this city, which in itself and in its 

 immediate neighbourhood presents so many objects of interest: — 

 British, Roman, and Anglo-Saxon remains, one of the purest 

 specimens of Gothic architecture, several ancient domestic buildings, 

 collections of paintings and sculpture, and places like Boscombe and 

 Bemerton, recalling the memory of Richard Hooker and of George 

 Herbert. 



We must now venture to congratulate ourselves, though in his 

 own presence, on the favour which has been conferred upon us by 

 the Right Hon. gentleman who has kindly undertaken to be the 

 President of the meeting. He has given ample evidence of his 

 munificent taste and generous love of art in the erection of that 

 noble Church, unrivalled in its own style in this country, which 

 needs only to be alluded to. But we must remember for how many 

 generations his distinguished ancestors were the patrons of taste 

 and art in this country. The descendant of 'Sidney's sister, 

 Pembroke's mother/ and of her son, who has been described as 

 " the most universally beloved and esteemed of any man of that age," 

 "of excellent parts and a graceful speaker," "and of disposition 

 affable, generous, and munificent," a poet and a patron of poets, 

 architects, and painters ; the descendant again of the noble 

 founder of the unequalled private collection of ancient marbles 

 (which we are permitted the pleasure of inspecting), and of his 

 next successor, the designer of Wilton, as it now stands, and whose 

 skill as an architect is expressly spoken of by Lord Orford, could 

 hardly fail, in inheriting the name, to inherit also the taste and 

 munificence of his ancestors. 



Under his presidency we are confident that the proceedings of 

 this meeting will be crowned with eminent success. And this we 



