210 HULL SCIENTIFIC AND FIELD NATURALISTS CLUB. 



From that time the desire, or necessity, for a large 

 income, slowly but surely affected the nature of the Society's 

 meetings and the quality of its work. The popular lecture 

 made its appearance. Huxley, Thackeray, and many other 

 scientific and literary leaders were induced to visit the 

 town. The desire for first-rate lectures increased, the avail- 

 able funds at the disposal of the Society were more and 

 more encroached upon for lecturers' fees, to the neglect 

 of other matters. Competition with somewhat similar 

 institutions which were formed in the town aided in the 

 general destruction of the " philosophical " element, and 

 assisted in the growth of the more entertaining lantern 

 lectures. Classes in chemistry and other subjects were 

 held later in the Society's rooms, and under its auspices, 

 but these were gradually discarded, their place being taken 

 by the School Board and other classes ; and even its 

 Museum, valuable as some of its contents were, became a 

 source of anxiety to the members, and was eventually 

 handed over to the town on certain conditions in January, 

 1901. 



As an example of the nature of the collections in the 

 old days is an account of the Hull Museum written by 

 Llewellyn Jewitt, which appears in the Art Journal, for 

 1872. In this description, Mr. Jewitt states: — "The usual 

 class of foreign ' curiosities ' which characterise most 

 museums are here, perhaps, more than usually abundant 

 and interesting, and there are also a considerable number 

 of local and other relics of mediaeval and more recent 

 times, including a fine and highly important collection of 

 Yorkshire seals. The miscellaneous character of the 

 'curiosities' of the collection may easily be estimated from 

 the enumeration of half-a-dozen of what are considered by 

 some to be the attractions of the place : — ' a part of a 

 walking-stick belonging to Queen Elizabeth ; ' 'a pair of 

 cavalier's boots worn by Sir E. Varney, who bore the 

 Royal Standard of Charles I. at the battle of Edgehill;' 

 ' some of the long corn among which the English Guards 

 stood upon the field of Waterloo ; ' 'a piece of the rock 

 against which General Wolfe leaned when mortally wounded 

 at the taking of Quebec;' 'some bar shot fired by Paul 

 Jones ; ' 'a lock of Napoleon's hair ; ' 'an autograph of 

 Queen Victoria;' and 'a piece of the tanned skin of 

 Thompson the murderer.' " The nature of the collections 

 as depicted by Jewitt was not by any means a unique 

 feature in our provincial museums ; the prevailing idea in 



