TALBOT9754

S. Birch Esq B. Mus^m

Edinburgh 13 Great Stuart S^t
10 Feb^ry 1871

My Dear Sir

I am very much flattered that my name should have been thought of, as the first President of the Biblico Archæological Society but it is an honour which I cannot accept.¹ – I am very seldom in London and I am spending the present winter with my family in Edinburgh –

The distance is too great to allow of my coming up to London, as I am a bad traveller, especially in winter.

The same reason prevents my wishing my name to appear among the members of the Council – I should be among the non-effectives, but a young Society requires an active Council.

All I can do, is to contribute some short papers occasionally if it is the intention of the Society to publish a journal, or transactions.²

In my opinion, your name ought to be proposed as President, and I shall be glad to hear that you have accepted the Office.³

I wish the members proposing to join the Society were more numerous, but much may be done by a limited number if they publish their researches and if those prove interesting and valuable, more members would join. The chief use of a numerous body of members is to render such publication possible, the great expense of printing being a discouragement to individual enquirers.

As you say that the Museum is now issuing the new volume, may I ask you to request the proper authority to forward my copy to Edinburgh at the address I have given above?⁴

Believe me Yours vy truly
H. F. Talbot