110 



several unforeseen circumstances, my colleague was unable to be 

 jpresent except on one occasion, so that the duty of writing a 

 iReport, unfortunately for the Society, devolves upon me. 



As the programme for the week had bu: few items Avhich were 

 ;attractive to me, I must plead a certain neglect of my duty in 

 .absenting myself on various occasions, but I was not absent from 

 any business meeting. 



The alternative items on the list for the afternoon of June 4th, 

 •subsequent to the assembly of members at the Hampstead Town 

 Hall, were a Topographical Ramble in inner Hampstead under the 

 guidance of the Town Clerk, Mr. E. E. Newton, and a Natural 

 History Ramble in outer Hampstead, both parties to meet for tea 

 at the farm adjoining the famous Ken Wood. The first ramble 

 was conducted by an enthusiast ; and I spent an extremely pleasant 

 afternoon in and around the haunts of many notable men of the 

 past hundred and fifty years, concluding with a visit to the home of 

 the badgers in Ken Wood, to which access had been kindly given 

 by the Grand Duke Michael ; and a nice al fresco tea at the 

 invitation of the late Mr. Barham concluded the event. In the 

 evening the President, Sir Hercules Read, gave his Address entitled, 

 " The Belief of Our Ancestors in a Future Existence." 



June 5th commenced with two business meetings at which 

 Reports were read, and matters relating to the next Congress and 

 the general business of the Union were discussed. Two papers 

 were read during the morning, " The Hampstead Observatory and 

 its Work," by Mr. P. H. Hepburn and " The Influence of Scientific 

 Societies," by Mr. H. B. Wheatley, with subsequent discussions. 



A feature of each of these Congresses is an Exhibition of all 

 kinds of things, Natural History and other, of local interest and 

 bearing; and one always takes the opportnniiy of a paper 

 not quite congenial to one's taste to walk round the exhibits. 

 Insects of all orders taken in Hampstead, birds ibtained in the 

 neighbourhood, fossils and samples of the various strata exposed in 

 building, or pierced by borings, railway and drainage, old books of 

 local reference, photographs connected with the county topographical 

 survey, relics of famous men and women who have lived in 

 Hampstead, all combined to make the exhibition one of the 

 important and educative items of the meeting. 



In the afternoon it had been arranged for the members and 

 friends to pay visits to either the Zoological Society's Gardens or 

 to the Gardens of the Royal Botanic Sociely. The larger company 

 by far went on the latter visit, but for me the Zoological Gardens 



