He concluded by calling upon the Honorary Secretary, who read the following Report of the Council:—
The Council, in presenting their Annual Report, have much pleasure in stating the progress that has been made by the Society since the formation in May, 1854. Three General Meetings have been held at the following places, namely, at Southwark, Kingston-upon-Thames last year, and at Chertsey in the present; upon which occasions Papers on various subjects of Local and General Antiquarian Interest, eleven in number, have been read, and a large number of Antiquities and Works of Art, chiefly connected with Surrey, have been exhibited, and opportunities of viewing them gratuitously afforded to upwards of 4,000 persons. Excavations, also, have been undertaken in the neighbourhood of Kingston, and at Chertsey, when discoveries of considerable interest were made.
The Council have to congratulate the Members upon the liberal donations received towards the formation of a Library and Museum. The former now consists of 63 volumes, many of the most valuable of which have been contributed by Dr. Roots, of Kingston; in addition to which the Society now possess various manuscripts, 48 pamphlets, besides printed papers. We have also numerous drawings, topographical and other prints, rubbings of brasses, many of which have been presented by Thomas R. Bartrop, our Local Secretary at Chertsey. To Captain Oakes and Mr. Laing (Members) the Society is indebted for several valuable photographs.
The Museum has received some important additions from the Committee of the late Chertsey Literary and Scientific Institution, and other contributors. Mr. Joshua W. Butterworth, F.S.A., has just presented a most valuable collection of Roman and early English antiquities, consisting of glass, pottery, fibulæ, and other bronzes, fragments of tesselated pavements and fresco painting, all of which are of extreme local interest, having been discovered in London and Southwark.
The Council also received, some time since, an offer from Mr. Phillips, of Bermondsey, to present to the Society various fragments of the ancient abbey formerly existing there, collected by his late father and himself; but were compelled to postpone their acceptance of this proffered liberality owing to want of space for their reception.
The Council having received a proposition to the effect that the operations of the Society may be advantageously extended to the county of Middlesex, in order to comprise within the sphere of a single institution the entire metropolis, and also to obtain a complete and careful investigation of the archæology of the principal metropolitan county, so fertile in objects of antiquity of every period from the Roman invasion, they have no hesitation in submitting the proposal to this Meeting, and of expressing their cordial approval of the suggestion.
On the 30th of June, 1854, when the first Annual Meeting of the Society was held at Kingston-upon-Thames, the total number of Members was 374, of whom 40 were Life Members; while at the present time the number is 415 (56 being Life Members), showing, notwith-
