, or at Urie Hill in the Mearns, or at Mormond in Buchan, or
at the "Kaim of Kinprunes?" which last locality, however, was, it must
be confessed, rather summarily and decisively put out of Court some time
ago by the strong personal evidence of Edie Ochiltree.

* * * * *

If these, and some thousand-and-one similar questions regarding the
habits, arts, government, language, etc., of our Primaeval and Mediaeval
Forefathers could be at once summarily and satisfactorily answered by
any power of "gramarye," then the present and the future Fellows of the
Society of Antiquaries of Scotland would be saved an incalculable amount
of difficult investigation and hard work. But unfortunately I, for one
at least, have no belief that any human power can either unsphere the
spirits of the dead for a night's drawing-room amusement, or seduce the
"wraiths" of our ancestors to "revisit the glimpses of the moon" even
for such a loyal and patriotic object as the furtherance of Scottish
Archaeology. Nevertheless I doubt not, at the same time, that many of
these supposed questions on the dark points of Scottish antiquities will
yet betimes be answered more or less satisfactorily. But the answers, if
ever obtained, will be obtained by no kind of magic except the magic of
accumulated observations, and strict stern facts;--by no necromancy
except the necromancy of the cautious combination, comparison, and
generalisation of these facts;--by no enchantment, in short, except that
special form of enchantment for the advancement of every science which
the mighty and potent wizard--Francis Bacon--taught to his fellow-men,
when he taught them the spell-like powers of the inductive philosophy.

The data and facts which Scottish antiquaries require to seek out and
accumulate for the future furtherance of Scottish Archaeology, lie in
many a different direction, waiting and hiding for our search after
them. On some few subjects the search has already been keen, and the
success correspondingly great. Let me specify one or two instances in
illustration of this remark.

As a memorable example, and as a perfect Baconian model for analogous
investigations on other corresponding topics--in the way of the full and
careful accumulation of all ascertainable premises and data before
venturing to dogmatise upon them--let me point to the admirable work of
Mr. Stuart on the Sculptured Stones of Scotland--an almost national
work, which,