Balance-Sheet of the Surrey Archaeological Society from January 1, to December 31, 1859.

Report of the Auditors for 1860.

Your Auditors have examined the accounts of the Society from January 1st, 1859, to December 31st, 1859, and also up to the time of the decease of the late Honorary Secretary (Mr. G. B. Webb).

They have the melancholy satisfaction of stating that the several accounts by the late Mr. G. B. Webb are borne out by the several vouchers.

It appears that the sum of £396. 1s. 10d. New Three per Cent. Annuities is invested equal to £380, and stands to the credit side of the Surrey Archæological Society in the banker's book, which sum is duly invested, according to the rules of the Society.

The Stock, consisting of the Library, Museum, and Publications, are set down at, we think, a moderate valuation of £125, making a total of £505; the liabilities of the past year amounting to £130. 13s. 8d.

Your Committee cannot conclude this very gratifying report without expressing their thanks to your present Honorary Secretary (Mr. Sass) for the very ready assistance he gave them in collecting the various papers and explaining the accounts.

The increase of Members, and the growing importance of the Society, suggested to your auditors that a book should be procured and kept in such a manner that the accounts should be readily referred to, and can be seen at a glance without assistance.

They also suggest that a Catalogue of the Museum and Books should be made, so that the Members may have an opportunity of knowing what they possess, and have thereby easier reference thereto.

The expenses of the last Meeting held at Richmond have been, they observe, large; but this item of expenditure must of necessity be variable, and subject to local circumstances, and so, they presume, influenced by the exertions of the Local Committee, where their meeting is held.

(Signed) ALFRED JAMES HISCOCKS.

The adoption of the Report of the Council was then moved, seconded, and carried unanimously.

On the proposition of W. Tayler, Esq., F.S.S., seconded by J. J. Howard, Esq., LL.D., F.S.A., H. W. Sass, Esq., was duly elected Hon. Secretary, in the room of G. B. Webb, Esq., deceased.

The Officers and Council for the ensuing year were elected.

Several new Members were elected.

Votes of thanks to the Patrons, President, and Officers of the Society for their past year's services were then passed.

According to previous notice, the Meeting was then made Special, for the consideration of Rules XIII. and XVI.

On the motion of W. H. Hart, Esq., F.S.A., duly seconded, it was resolved that these rules should in future stand thus :

RULE XIII. An Annual General Meeting shall be held in the month of JUNE or JULY, at such times and places as the Council shall appoint, to receive and consider the Report of the Council on the state of the Society, and to elect the officers for the ensuing twelve months.

RULE XVI. The Council shall meet for the transaction of business connected with the management of the Society, once at least in every month, that is to say, on the second Thursday in each month, or on such other days as the Council shall from time to time direct.

After a cordial vote of thanks to Sir Hugh Cairns, for allowing the meeting to take place at Gatton Hall; to the Hon. W. J. Monson, for his efficient services in the Chair; and to the Local Committee and Secretaries; the party proceeded to Reigate Church, which was described by W. H. Hart, Esq., F.S.A.

The Priory, the seat of Earl Somers, was the next point of attraction, and, among many interesting objects, the beautiful Oak Chimney-Piece from Nonsuch attracted great attention.

The Baron's Caves, at Reigate, were then visited and described by John Lees, Esq.

The Dinner took place at the White Hart Hotel, at which about 120 members and friends were present. The Chair was taken by the Hon. W. J. Monson, supported by the Vicar of Reigate, and Thomas Hart, Esq.

A Conversazione was held in the evening at the Town Hall, where a temporary Museum of Antiquities, Rubbings, &c., was formed; also a splendid collection of antique rings and jewellery, contributed by E. Waterton, Esq., and the Rev. James Beak, which attracted general admiration.

The following gentlemen had kindly undertaken the duties of a Local Committee, and the formation of the Museum was chiefly owing to their exertions :

The Right Hon. the Lord Abinger.
Sir Walter Rockliffe Farquhar, Bt.
Sir W. G. Hylton Jolliffe, Bt., M.P.
Sir Hugh Cairns, M.P.
Colonel Sir Henry C. Rawlinson,
K.C.B., F.R.S.
The Rev. P. Aubertin.
George Baker, Esq.

Francis Henry Beaumont, Esq.
J. W. Butterworth, Esq., F.S.A.
The Rev. A. Cazenove.

T. Somers Cocks, Esq. (Treasurer
and Trustee).

Wm. John Evelyn, Esq., F.S.A.
J. W. Freshfield, Esq., F.R.S.
(Trustee).

The Rev. J. N. Harrison.
W. H. Hart, Esq., F.S.A.
Alfred Heales, Esq., F.S.A.
Henry Thomas Hope, Esq.

|

J. J. Howard, Esq., LL.D., F.S.A.
Henry Lainson, Esq.
John Lees, Esq.

John Locke, Esq., M.P., Q.C.
The Rev. John Manley.
Peter Martin, Esq.
Frederick Mellersh, Esq.
Geo. Gibson Richardson, Esq.
William Roupell, Esq., M.P.
John Shelley, Esq.
Andrew Sisson, Esq.
General Smee.
C. J. Smith, Esq.
John Steele, Esq.
William Street, Esq.

J. R. D. Tyssen, Esq., F.S.A.
William Wix, Esq.

The Rev. J. C. Wynter.
Thos. Hart, Esq.
G. C. Morrison, Esq.

}

Local Hon. Secs.

Mr. Thomas Hart was called to the Chair, and the following papers were read :

:

1. Notices of the Library preserved in Reigate Church. By W. H.

Hart, Esq.

2. On Early Bookbinding, illustrated by examples from the Reigate Church Library. By H. S. Richardson, Esq.

3. On Newdigate Church and Parish, and the adjoining districts. By the Rev. S. M. Mayhew, Rector of Newdigate.

Thanks were returned to the authors of these papers, and the meeting separated.

LOSELEY.

THE EIGHTH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the Society was held at Loseley Park, by the kind permission of J. More Molyneux, Esq., F.S.A., on Tuesday, August 6th, 1861.

The Members and their friends assembled at St. Nicholas Church, Guildford, and then visited the Loseley Chapel. A description of the Monuments of the More family was given by W. H. Hart, Esq., F.S.A. From thence to the ruins of St. Catherine's Chapel, which were described by H. W. Sass, Esq.

The Chair was taken at Loseley Hall, by James More Molyneux, Esq., F.S.A., a Vice-President, at one o'clock.

Circumstances had delayed the holding of this Annual Meeting beyond the time limited by the rules of the Society; the Chairman therefore commenced the proceedings by putting to the Meeting_a resolution suspending for this occasion the operation of Rule XIII., which requires the Annual General Meeting to be held in June or July. The resolution was carried.

The Minutes of the last Annual General and Special General Meetings, held at Reigate, on June 27th, 1860, were then read and confirmed.

The following Report of the Council was read and adopted :

In presenting the eighth Annual Report of the Society, your Council congratulate the members on its continued prosperity, but would urge them all still to afford their aid, by inducing their friends in the county who have not done so to become members, and thus largely increase its prosperity and efficiency.

Three years since your Council felt themselves most reluctantly compelled to remove from the list of members some gentlemen who were in arrear with their subscriptions; and, although they do not intend to adopt the same course this year, they cannot refrain from alluding to the fact, as the expenditure for the collection of subscriptions is very large. In addition to the repeated applications of the collector, over 2,000 letters are annually sent to persons in arrear.

Your Council regret to have to report that sixty-three members have left the Society since last year; six from death, and fifty-seven from resignation. This appears a large number; but the great proportion of

resignations are of personal friends of the late Honorary Secretary, who have lost their interest in the Society at his death. The present number of members on the books of the Society is 555, of whom sixteen have joined during the present year.

Your Council have great pleasure in submitting the Financial Statement of the Society for the year ending December, 1860. The receipts for the year have been £223. 13s., and the payments £177. 14s. 6d., leaving a balance of £45. 18s. 3d. The assets of the Society, consisting of the balance in hand and the arrears of subscriptions, are £165. 188. 6d., and the liabilities are rather under that amount; while the property of the Society consists of New per Cent. Annuities, Library, Museum, and parts of Transactions, valued at £574. 158.

In the month of August last, your Council considered it desirable to assist a project formed for the establishment of Monthly Evening Meetings, in connection with this and the London and Middlesex Archæological Societies, feeling that, although many Members resided too far from London to avail themselves of them, still a large number residing in or near London and Southwark might be able to do so. The result, they are happy to find, justifies their decision. From September to December upwards of forty members of the Surrey Society joined the movement, and the number has continued steadily to increase to the present time.

Your Council feel it necessary to add that they have not the slightest wish or intention of uniting with the Middlesex Society for any other than the above purpose.

The first Evening Meeting was held on the 18th of September, since which they have been held regularly on the evening of the third Tuesday in each month. At these meetings papers of great interest have been read both by members of the Council of the Society as well as of the general body.

Reports of these Meetings have appeared in the Gentleman's Magazine and other periodicals, and several members have joined the Society for the purpose of becoming members of the Evening Meetings.

At the Preliminary Meetings of the Council, due consideration was given to the probable working expenses of these Meetings, and the yearly subscription for members was fixed at 5s. each, and arrangements made for the sale of Visitors' Tickets at the rate of 5s. per dozen, in packets of not less than six.

On the resignation of Mr. Cox as the Hon. Secretary of the Evening Meetings, a Member of our Council, Mr. W. H. Hart, F.S.A., was unanimously appointed Director of the Evening Meetings, and Mr. J. E. Price, Hon. Secretary.

Your Council wish to draw the attention of the members to the great confusion which must necessarily arise from gentlemen not applying for tickets for dinner and conveyances at the time mentioned in the programme, and are compelled to state that in future no accommodation can be provided for those who do not apply by the stated time. More than half the tickets for the present Meeting have been applied for since the time mentioned in the Circular.

The new part of the Transactions is now in preparation, and your