Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 9.djvu/460

 364 PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF most cordial respect and esteem, Sir John Swinburne : he feared that his advanced age would prevent his participating personally in their proceedings, but he had given the gratifying assurance of his warm interest in the present meeting. Lord Talbot, in adverting to the true aim and value of Archaeological inquiries, in all their branches, as tending to illustrate and aid historical researches, remarked that nothing could show more clearly the value of Archaeology than the labours of the late Mr. Hudson Turner, and especially the still and acuteness with which he had brought docu- mentary evidence, of a nature frequently regarded as dry and uninteresting, to throw light upon the history, the habits, and manners of social life, in former times. The last production of that talented Archaeologist, in which he had made us familiar with the details of domestic architecture, the castles and mansions of our forefathers, was a volume well calculated to aid the researches, and enhance the gratification of those who now, possibly for the first time, visited a district where their attention would often be arrested by remarkable examples of castellated and domestic, as well as of ecclesiastical, architecture. Lord Talbot could not withhold, on the present occasion, a tribute to the merits of one with whom he had long had friendly intimacy, and whose contributions to Archaeological science he highly appreciated. The untimely death of Mr. Hudson Turner, since their last annual assembly, had caused a vacancy in their ranks which it would he very difficult to supply. Before closing his address, Lord Talbot observed that he was anxious to make a few remarks upon the position in which he conceived the Government should be placed with reference to furthering Archaeological and literary pursuits. It might be difficult to determine how far Government ought to interfere in such matters. Hitherto, until a recent period, everything of this kind had been allowed to proceed without interference by the Government. In other countries the Government had acted very differently, and in some cases had even incurred the reproach of unnecessary interference. He was convinced such interference might be carried too far, but judicious aid was very desirable. One great object of Government ought to be to preserve in museums objects illustrative of the arts and history of every country, and particularly of that in which we live. Until recently our museums, whilst containing noble collections of monu- ments of the Greeks and Romans, had no series illustrative of the habits and manners of our forefathers. That reproach would now, as he hoped, soon be forgotten ; in the British Museum a distinct division had been, at length, set apart for British Archaeology. And here, the Institute must recall with especial gratification the generosity of their noble patron, the Duke of Northumberland, in placing at the disposal of the Central Committee, soon after the York meeting, a valuable collection of antiquities found on his estates in Yorkshire, to be presented to the British IMuseum, through the medium of the Institute. The noble example and warm interest shown by His Grace, in his liberal purpose of thus stimulating the formation of a national series of antiquities, had doubtless proved in no slight degree efficacious, in obtaining from the trustees of the Museum the appropriation of rooms to that special purpose. The Government ought to encourage the formation of local museums, especially of antiquities found in our own country, whereby valuable objects which at present are exposed to destruc- tion might be preserved. In France there was not a small provincial town that had not its museimi. Another object in which Government might properly take a part was the publication of ancient documents, such as