The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-04 00:00:00

The Archaeological Institute.

The meeting of the members of this Institute at
Dorchester commenced on Tuesday last ; the local
committee having actively engaged themselves for
some months previously in providing a programme
which cannot fail to be of interest to the lovers of
antiquity in this and other counties. The inaugural
meeting was held in the Guildhall on Tuesday after-
noon, under the presidency of the Marquis Camden,
who was supported on the platform by Lord N eaves,
the Bishop of Salisbury, Mr. Beresford Hope, M.P.,
Mr. R. B. Sheridan, M.P., Professor Willis, Mr. T.
Bond, F.S.A., Sir W. Myddleton, Mr. J. Floy er,
M.P., Dr. Aldridge (Mayor of Dorchester), Mr. J.
Burt, Colonel Pinney, Rev. C. W. Bingham, Mr.
H. Russell, M.P., Lord Enniskillen, &c.
The meeting having been briefly opened by the
President,
The MAvon, on his own behalf, and on the part
of the aldermen and burgesses of the borough,
begged to present to each and every member of their
most honourable institute the most grateful and cor-
dial welcome of this ancient borough.

The Bishop of SALISBURY, in his own name, and
on behalf of the clergy and laity of the diocese,
echoed the feelings expressed by the Mayor, and
which represented the pleasure generally felt by the
inhabitants of Dorset at the visit of the Institute.
Without speaking of theologians or their interest in
ecclesiastical architecture, in which' the clergy all
felt specially interested, they all knew how very
much they were indebted to those who had helped
to preseyve the records of the past, and to throw all
the light they could to guide others through the
difficulties of the present. He did not wish by any
means to say they were desirous of reproducing the
past, but while they were endeavouring to forward
the interests of the present, and to make every ad-
vancement in knowledge, they should not forget
what they owed to their predecessors, and how much
they had gained from their past experience. His
lordship, in the name of the clergy and laity of the
diocese, conveyed to the society their good wishes
and cordial expressions of welcome, and to assure
the society they felt a desire to co-operate in any of
the engagements which the Institute might be en-
abled to make in this county. (Applause.)
Mr. FLOYER, M.P., said he might be allowed to
tender more especially on the part of the laity of the
county their expression of welcome on this the first
visit of the Institute to Dorset. It was true that if
this society had come to visit them in the earlier
years of its existence there would have been some
little misgiving as to its object, and he should have
felt a little hesitation, perhaps, in drawing their
attention to some of the buildings to which he had
alluded. (Laughter.) He was happy to say that
through the large-heartedness and munificence of a
Dorset gentleman, and, he might say, the hearty
concurrence of the people of the county, these build-
iUgs were now in a condition that did honour to

their noble founders, and he might trust they were
worthy of the county they Adorned. He looked
forward to a pleasant and successful meeting, and
felt assured the inhabitants of the county would de-
rive a great amount of valuable information from
the visits of the society.

Mr. R. B. SHERIDAN, M.P., also returned thanks
on the part of the inhabitants of the town.
Mr. BERESFORD HOPE, M.P., said he appeared
before the meeting rather dusty and rather unkempt,
and felt assured he cut an uncouth figure—some-
thing between a sportsman and a geologist on a voy-
age of discovery. (Laughter.) He had been placed
upon the platform to speak in a room he had never
seen before, in a town that was entirely strange to
him, and to an auditory among whom he saw many
new, but he thought kind and friendly faces.
Being naturally shy, and not prone to mix in
society, he threw himself upon the compassion of his
hearers in his unpleasant predicament. (Laughter.)
But he had been ordered by Mr. Tucker, Mr. Burt,
Mr. Bingham, and other great magnates of ar-
chaeology, before whom he had been accustomed to
prostrate himself with awe and reverence, to appear
ibefore the meeting that day. (Laughter.) He
thought it was coming into something like Fairy-
' land when he entered the county of Dorset. After
having enjoyed a long excursion on the Great
Western line, which had landed him only an hour
too late—he said that to the credit of that mag-
nificent company—(laughter)—he came amid the
igreen fields of Dorset, the swelling hill-tops, the
moors, the waving plantations of fir and oak, with
the beautiful green meadows intervening. Then,
on entering the town of Dorchester, with its ave-
nues of majestic trees, and its many objects of an-
tiquarian interest which were entirely new to the
archaeologist, he felt sure that the congress of 1865
would be one which would be attended with very
great profit and success.
The Marquis CAMDEN expressed his regret, and
he was sure the meeting would join with him, that
the chair had not that day been occupied by the
noble lord whom it was originally intended should
have filled that honourable position—the late Earl
of Ilchester. The advantages which would have
been gained by the experience of a president who
was so conversant with all parts of the county must
be obvious to all, but after the lamented death of
Lord Ilchester he had been called upon to preside
at that meeting, and he assured them he would en-
deavour to do so to the best of his ability. (Cheers.)
The Rev. C. W. BINGHAM, rector of Melcombe
Horsey, then proceeded to read an introductory
sketch of the antiquities of the county, which was
full of interest, and was listened to with marked
attention by the audience.
A party was afterwards formed to visit the chief
features of interest in the town, and the temporary
museum, which is stocked with a magnificent collec-
tion of antiquities found in the county, was for-
mally opened in the evening. At 9 p.m the even-
ing meeting was held at the Town-hall, when Mr.
J. H. Parker read an interesting paper on " The
Early Christian Churches of Rome."
On Wednesday the morning meeting commenced
at 10.30, under the presidency of the Marquis Cam-
den, supported by an eminent party of gentlemen
connected with the Institute. The Rev. W. Barnes,
the " Dorset poet," read a paper on " Ancient
Dorset ;" the Rev. Professor Willis next read a
paper on " Sherborne Abbey Church ;" and Mr. 'f.
Bond, F.S.A., on " Corfe Castle." In the after-
noon an excursion was made to Maiden Castle, near
many of the chief features of interest were pointed
leeierd,.RAwaethusvBe.n a numerous party attended, and
Austen
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