The Thirty -Sixth General Meeting, 



and in his absence the chair was taken by Mr. W. H. Laverton, 

 who at once called on the Rev. A. C. Smith to read 



THE REPORT, 



which was as follows : — 



" The Committee has again the satisfaction of reporting the 

 steady progress of the Society, which, though not yet numbering 

 amongst its Members so large a body of Wiltshiremen as it desires 

 to do, yet contains on its books (including, as usual, the Societies 

 with which publications are exchanged) three hundred and seventy- 

 three names — a slight increase since last year, 



" We have, however, to lament the loss of several of our Members, 

 and though the list of these is not numerically so long as usual, it 

 contains the names of some whom we could ill afford to spare. 

 Among these we would first mention our late Financial Secretary, 

 Mr. Nott, whose active business habits and whose courtesy and 

 energy in our cause had rendered his services well-nigh invaluable 

 to the Officers of the Society ; and it is with most real gratitude, 

 as well as regret, that we call to mind his ready aid, on which we 

 could always rely. In Mr. Meek, again, whose loss has heen 

 severely felt by the whole county, we of this Society deplore one of 

 our most valued Officers, who served for a great many years on the 

 Committee and was a Member from the foundation of the Society. 

 Another original Member, who took part in the formation of the 

 Society in 1853, and who was a Vice-President and Member of the 

 Committee from the first, was Mr. H. N. Clarke, long resident at 

 Park Cottage, Devizes, and now very lately deceased. We would 

 also mention with regret the name of the Rev. A. O. Hartley, late 

 Vicar of Steeple Ashton ; and there are some few others who have 

 died or left the county, or who, from other causes, have resigned 

 membership. 



" As regards finance, as the balance sheet containing the account 

 of last year's receipts and expenditure has just been placed in the 

 hands of the Members of the Society, it is needless to say more 

 than that while our income is sufficient to cover our annual ex- 

 penditure with economy, we are not in a condition financially to 



