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378 proposed that three cheers be given to the Mayor of Southampton, whose birthday it happened to be. This was of course complied with.

The following is the address of the Corporation of Southampton to the Institute:—

We believe the many and varied historical associations in and in the neighbourhood of Southampton will afford you a pleasing opportunity of obtaining much valuable historical information connected with the early history of this town and county.

We trust your visit to Southampton will be in every respect agreeable to your Society, as it will be to the inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood.

We desire to express our earnest hope that you will have every reason to be gratified with the decision made by your Society in selecting this town for your Annual Meeting.

At 9 A.M. the general meeting of Members was held in the reading-room of the Hartley Institution, the Rev. J. Fuller Russell in the Chair. Mr. Burtt, Hon. Sec., read the balance-sheet for the year 1871 (see p. 295) and the Annual Report for the past year, as follows:—

Report of the Central Committee of the Royal Archæological Institute for the year 1871-72.

"Your Committee have many gratifying circumstances to refer to in relation to the general affairs of the Institute.

"The great success of the last Annual Meeting of the Institute, the first which has been held by the Society within the limits of the principality of Wales, calls for the first expression of satisfaction on the part of the Committee. On that occasion the numbers attending the meeting were much larger, and the attendance of distinguished persons more considerable than at any previous meeting for many years; the character of the memoirs and discourses submitted to the attention and study of the members was very able and interesting; the reception of the members and visitors by the inhabitants of Cardiff and of the surrounding country was of the most hospitable and cordial character, and the financial result of the Meeting to the pecuniary condition of the Institute was very advantageous. Several very interesting memoirs contributed to that Meeting have appeared in the "Journal" of the Institute, and have done much to sustain the high character of the published proceedings of the Society.

"An experiment, to which, after some hesitation, the Council felt