108 LIFE OF SIR JOHN LUBBOCK ch. 



That it is not desirable to diminish the value hitherto 

 attached to natural and physical science and the English 

 language in the examinations for direct commissions and 

 for admission to the military educational institutions, 

 nor to lessen the importance of those subjects in the 

 subsequent course of instruction and examinations." 



On May 18 Her Majesty was pleased to issue 

 a Royal Commission to enquire and report on 

 Scientific Instruction and the advancement of 

 Science, under the Presidency of the Duke of 

 Devonshire. Sir John was nominated a member 

 of the Commission, his other colleagues being 

 Lord Lansdowne, Sir A. Kay Shuttleworth, Sir 

 B. Samuelson, Dr. Sharpey, Professor Huxley, 

 Dr. Miller, and Professor (afterwards Sir) G. G. 

 Stokes, with Mr. Lockyer as Secretary. Dr. 

 Miller died in the same year, and Professor H. J. 

 Smith was nominated in his place. 



The first Bill of his own introduction was 

 read a third time on July 16 at half-past five 

 in the morning. The object was to deal with 

 absconding debtors. It was found that after 

 the first proceedings in bankruptcy were taken, 

 debtors, especially foreigners, often absconded 

 with all their property, leaving nothing for their 

 creditors, and the object was to secure a summary 

 process by which they could be prevented from 

 leaving the country until they were made 

 bankrupt, and their property was secured. 



It was this summer that he played in the two 

 cricket matches for the Houses of Parliament, 

 referred to in Mr. Philip Norman's account in 

 a previous chapter. Against Harrow he got 25 

 not out, against I Zingari 13. The Echo, in 

 reporting the latter match, wrote : 



