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statue which riveted the attention of my
untutored eyes. I found it was the statue of Livia Augusta,
brought from Herculaneum; and the impression made upon my mind
was, how proud might an artist of the present day be, could he
produce such a work as this, chiselled by a hand cold in the grave
for more than two thousand years ! In all ages of the world, one
of the keenest pursuits is that for gold. I know not whether the
present is more distinguished in this respect than others, but I
am certain it is not less so; and I believe if the Arch of
Titus stood in the way of the worshipers of gain, it would be no
more respected than old Temple Bar, which I grieve to hear is to
come down because it a little impedes the traffic towards the
head-quarters of Mammon, the City of London. Steam is the great
innovator. I do not mean to depreciate its use; but it is no
respecter of antiquity. In our own county it has ruthlessly swept
from the earth the remains of the old Priory at Tunbridge, and the
Castle would have shared no better fate had it happened to stand
in the way. In a county with which I am well acquainted (Dorsetshire), it was with great difficulty that the relics of a
splendid Roman amphitheatre were wrested from the "appropriation
clause " of a railway company; and memory, in
calling back the patience and courage of the venerable martyr
awaiting his fate from the wild-beasts of the Circus, and
shuddering not at their roar,—memory, I repeat, would be put to
the blush on the same spot in hearing the shrieks and groans of a
much more powerful monster, the railway engine.
I have not pretended to treat this subject in a
scientific manner. I leave that to others much better acquainted
with the matter, and especially to my worthy friend, our excellent
Secretary, who has spared neither time nor exertion, nor the
ability which he eminently possesses, in forming this Society, and
in bringing it so successfully to the inauguration of this day and
with reference to the Resolution which I have the honour of
proposing, from his Archaeological knowledge is well calculated
himself to compose a work which would reflect equal honour on the
name he bears, on the science of which he is so keen an admirer,
and on the county to which he belongs.
I cannot sit down without congratulating you, my Lord
Marquess, and all here assembled, on the formation of a Society
which will effect much if it only teaches us to acknowledge
the
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