Page:Wiltshire, Extracted from Domesday Book.djvu/29

[ xxiii ] ought to be), ome ingenious men might be admitted, to whom it might be inconvenient to ubcribe, and whoe aitance would be very ueful and deireable. As oon as 1500l. or 2000l. Should be ubcribed, the, Committee might immediately be choen, either by the peronal election, or by proxy, or by the recommendatory letters of the ubcribers.

The Committee, when appointed, might elect their ecretary, and proceed upon the work; and as they would oon engage, each in their repective departments the mot able Hitorians, Antiquarians, Draughtmen, Heralds, Botanits, Engravers, &c. &c. it eems probable, that a Hitory of a County, which has hitherto been conidered as the labour of twenty or thirty years, might eaily be effected within the hort period of three or four.

And even this period might be hortened, if the Country Gentlemen could be peruaded, liberally to communicate abtracts of their antient deeds and papers, or, at leat, uffer the Committee to employ proper perons to make uch extracts from them, as might be neceary towards the perfetion of the work. It has been jutly complained of in other counties, that papers of the utmot conequence to their hitories, have, with an ueles precaution, been timidly Rh