210 JOURNAL OF THE PLYMOUTH INSTITUTION. 
at the other end of the room was therefore heartily welcomed, and 
the Thursday evening which produced it anxiously waited for by 
many. Now, however, not only do numerous excellent publications 
supply the pabulum to many, but other efforts of a kindred nature 
tend to keep people at home on winter nights, and it is with some 
reason that they ask why they should leave their firesides to listen 
to a paper, while they can read one at home without any trouble, of 
equal interest, although not perhaps on the same subject. I do 
not lose sight of the discussions, but unless the main subject 
attracts, the discussions in themselves will not. I think the 
remedy for this is to deal with local subjects in which most are 
interested, and information with respect to which is not generally 
attainable ; and if our energies were concentrated upon these, a 
good and permanent work will be done. There is much to be done 
yet to complete the history of the two counties both as regards 
their history in the widest sense of the word, and in their geology 
and biology, to say nothing of other matters connected with their 
social and commercial relations. For example, to take history, 
what is really known of this part of England before the Eoman 
invasion? The information must necessarily be scanty, but still 
much is to be collected. And it is the same with regard to the 
Eoman occupation. A fine field is open to any one who will take 
up the period between the withdrawal of the Eoman armies and 
Senlac ; and again the period covered by the wars of the Eoses — the ■ 
latter time being almost a blank, so far as any facts connected with 
the history of the West are known to the public. In fact, without 
going further, I shall not be far wrong in saying that the history of 
the western counties, both historically and topographically, has yet 
to be written. This may seem a bold statement, but to any one 
who doubts it, I would refer to the recently completed work of 
Sir John Maclean, and compare it with such a book as Lysons' or 
Polwhele's. Lysons' Devon professes to deal with the whole of the 
county of Devon and the parishes in it. Sir John Maclean's 
History of the Deanery of Trigg Minor comprises seventeen 
parishes only. The former is in two quarto volumes not very 
closely printed ; the latter occupies three thick quarto volumes, 
and is a model of what a parochial history ought to be. And in 
natural history, although much good work has been done, much 
still remains to be accomplished, more especially as regards the 
lower forms. There is plenty to do ; all that is wanted is persons 
