Architecture And Archaæology.

they would be able to hand down to posterity themselves —( hear)—aud it was because archceology was a science which enabled them to Compare this progress , and see and know what had been done hy their ancestors , and pointed out to them the work which it was their duty to carry on for the benefit of their posterty , ond that it was such an elevating , enobling , and interesting science . ( Applause . ) It was an important branch of study , and was one of the mightiest

agencies by which lig ht was thrown upon the investigations of the great history of human progress . Even in such countries as Babylon and Nineveh , it was progressive . They would find archaeological studies of two different kinds ; they would find some remains so old that thej'excite little more in them than wonder , whilst in othersthey would find that which seemed to carry them on continually up to the present day , and seemed to have a more living and a present interest for them . Now , of both of these they had specimens in

this county . They had specimens in Devon of old remains of a bygone time , on which they might excite themselves in speculation , but which did not seem to touch them with anything like a present and living interest ; and on the other hand they had in every town and every old church , and sometimes in their houses , and even by the wayside , memorials of thnes more or less , remote with which they seemed to have some connection ; and in both of these cases they found they had a kind

of interest . He ventured to say this county of Devon abounded with very important ancl very interesting classes of study for the ¦ archaeologist , for there it was , if anywhere , that they were to look for the earliest trading of foreigners with the original inhabitants of this land of Britain . There could be no doubt that the earliest notices whicli could in any way be considered to appply to England had reference to the Seilly Isles , probably to Cornwall , and probably to the whole of this part of Devon . It seemed that in the days

long before the time of the Roman Conquest , there was a communication between the tin islands , as they were called , the Seilly Islands , the mines of Cornwall and Devon—that there was a ¦ communication between that wealthy and important part of England aud some of the eastern nations . They found that the Phoenicians and the Carthagenians traded with these islands , and from all that had passed , it would be seen that the tin islands referred to were the Seilly Islands , and that part of England to which he had referred , pointing out a communication between the south-west part of England and the eastern lands that did at one time exist . In further proof of this the hon . baronet referred to

"the landing of Brutus at Totnes some little time after the destruction of Troy . There were many other evidences of the same communication . Some of them might perhaps be fanciful , others may have something in them , and he did hope that those who came amongst them with the power of testing and sifting evidence would enable them to judge for themselves how far these matters , which they had been taught to regard as being true , had any real worth in them . For instance , there was the evidence of

names aud language . Oue of their countrymen , Bolwhele , had gone quite mad upon Phoenician history . He saw Phos-nician names In everything almost that was to be found in the west of England ; hut still one ivould like to know how far there was any truth in the analogies lie had discovered , for they did know that the science of etymology—the comparing of one language with another— -had afforded means of ascertaining the connection between one people and another . There was Hartland PointStart Pointand Belston

, , Tor , which he ( Polwhele ) supposed contained traces of the Phoenician world . Start Point was dedicated to the worship of a goddess representing the sun , and Hartland Point to the worship of Hercules , and one would be glad to know the truth of what he said that there formerly were at Hartland Point to be found tbe double pillars whicli were the traces of the Phoenician worship of the sun and moon . One -would be glad to know how far it was true that there were traces of anything decidedly easternwhich

, was not to be traced in their neighbours , the Gauls , in the records they had of Druidical worship . They knew there were to be found such remains on Dartmoor , and one would like to know whether , from comparison with these remains , there was any such connection , or any such difference between them as would lead them to suppose they were the work of one people rather than another . For instance , comparing the works of Dartmoor with those of Stonehenge , they would like to know whether there was any truth iu

the theories that Stonehenge was partly the work of one race and partly of another , and whether there were traces of the earliest race to be found in one and not in the other . If so , in what the difference consisted , ancl whether it was of such a character as to lead them to suppose they were Eastern in their origin . One would like to know if there were traces of the aboriginal inhabitants here so conclusive as to lead them to believe they were of Eastern origin ; and , if not , whether they were to be ascrihed to people who had Eastern impressions made upon them by their communication with the Phoenicians . They might put so many things together in

such an inquiry of this sort that archaeology seemed to him to he fitly describrd by that line of Shakespere" Trifles light as air , Are to the jealous confirmation strong As proof from holy writ . " One would be glad that all these things should be recorded , that theories however absurd in themselves should he put forth and

ventilated , and everything that could be adduced to support them might be recorded . There was this that was peculiar in this kind of study ; archaeology required a very fine and noble training of the intellectual powers , and the most different qualities had to he combined in order to make a perfect archaeologist . He needed not only wide knowlede and great industry , but a union of imagination , of judgment , of enthusiasm , and scepticism in right proportions . He wanted two kinds of archaeology , positive and negative .

( Laughter . ) A man laid clown a theory like Polwhele , who col-, lected all the proof he could aud a great amount of facts which he otherwise might have neglected as of little value . He collected them because he considered they were important as bearing upon his theory . Then they required the sceptical critic , who upset and gave them to tho winds . But they must take great care they did not repress the spirit of discovery by looking with incredulous smiles upon the extravagancies on the one hand , ancl on the other

they were to avoid being led away by such extravagance . AVith regard to the annual meetings of the association , it was of course utterly impossible that , in the short time the society took to visit a country like that , they could make any great discoveries . All that they aimed at was to excite in the minds of the public who lived in these districts an interest in their pursuits , and set them to discover . AA'hen discoveries were made , the association , coming down from time to time , could review their work and could see if

there was anything in all the information which had been collected whicli they could take up , whether after sifting any grains of gold could he found there , so that by criticising on the one hand ancl stimulating on the other , they could collect materials for a good history of their own locality . He had been told that the histories which they possessed were very imperfect , and not such as they ought to have in the present state of science ; and their friends who had come clown amongst them were anxious that they should set to work in their different localities , making inquiries for the preservation of the ancient monuments , and for discovering those antiquities which were in danger of being lost , so that bringing them

together they might have a museum of their own . They had now every opportunity of doing this by means of photography , and he considered it would be a great pity if they allowed those monuments that were fast perishing in their midst to go entirely from them without at least taking copies from them . As he had already warned the association not to be led away by the scenery he ivould just say in the first rjlace that he wished when they were on Dartmoor they might get fine weather , for if they got into a mist they

would see very little ; aud , secondly , they must he on their guard when visiting Dartmoor not to be confounding the curious forms of nature with the works of Druidical remains . There was no doubt that Dartmoor was full of natural and Druidical remains ; hut it required a critical faculty there to determine how much of it was natural and how much was artificial . There was to be seen on Dartmoor or Crockern the place where the Stannary Parliament used to be held . The worthy baronet , at some length , gave the

history of these courts , where certainly the Chagford , Launceston , and Tavistock mines were represented , if the Cornish mines were not ; and also described the laws , which were to be found in the statutes—that all persons who were owners of property valued at more than _ B 10 . a-year were to be excluded from holding mines , and also that all persons learned in the law were prohibited from practising in the Stannaries Court . ( Laughter . ) The punishments inflicted bthis Courtunder what was termed the Ldford law

y , y , were aptly described by the words of one of their poets , who said" All ought to have known of Lydford Law , AVhere in the morning they hang and draw , And sit in judgment after . " ( Laughter . ) The Lydford law was a very serious one ; and it appeared that the Stannaries Parliament actually ventured to encroach upon the privileges 0 f the House of Commons , for they

were told that Mr . Strode , of Newnham , one member for Plympton Erie , exerted himself to obtain au act for preventing the tin miners from blocking up the rivers ; and the result was that he was put under Lydford Law . Alluding to their own county , the hon . baronet said that , although he was given to understand they were not rich in stone works and buildings of great antiquity , yet that city had one great treasure in having a vast amount of record which ought certainly to be published —( hear)—so as to make them known to others , ancl possibly amongst them they would find something upon these Stannary Parliaments . There was one other feature in Devonshire different from other parts of England—they