53 
THE NEW SESSION. 
October 8th, 1907. 
The President, Mr. H. L. Joseland, M.A., on taking the 
chair, remarked that they found themselves once more at 
the beginning of another session. It spoke well for the vitality 
and work of the Club that it had gone on prosperously for 
well over 30 years. The Club had taken an important step 
in collecting its properties, chiefly books, and reports of 
various societies, of which they’ had now a very considerable 
collection. The books would, he was sure, be a great con- 
venience and of much benefit to members, especially to those 
who wished to investigate matters connected with local 
history, as the Club possessed a good many valuable anti- 
quarian papers of various kinds in the reports and proceedings 
of their own and kindred societies. This was one of the 
directions in which the Club might do some very useful work. 
By their courtesy he found himself in the chair for another 
session. He thanked them for the privilege. Their syllabus 
was one that ought to appeal to everybody. There were 
several papers of special local interest. That evening they 
welcomed a fellow townsman, Mr. Birtwistle, whose educational 
achievements had shed lustre on his native town. 
Mr. W. Lancaster, the Club’s Librarian, intimated that 
they had been able to collect the Club’s transactions and other 
properties from the commencement down to date. These 
had been placed, with a series of publications of learned 
societies, in the Mechanics’ Institution. All the Towneley 
MSS. had been obtained except the third Towneley MS. 
That he had, unfortunately, not been able to trace, and it 
was the most valuable of them all. Its description was 
“Towneley Account Book from January 22nd, 1787, to 
December 30th, 1790.’’ The book had been passed from 
hand to hand until all trace of it had been lost. He should 
be pleased to receive it and place it among the other possessions 
of the Club. 
