150 LIFE OF SIR JOHN LUBBOCK oh. 



he kept in close touch all through his later life, 

 but on this first attempt could not get a day for 

 the Bill's second reading. Later in the year he 

 took the Chair at a meeting at Manchester, for 

 the same object. The Bishop of Manchester 

 attended the meeting but, to Sir John's 

 disappointment, was in favour of voluntary 

 closing. 



He also introduced for the first time the 

 Ancient Monuments Bill, of which the fortunes 

 were so singular and so long drawn out that they 

 inspired some parliamentary joker to speak of 

 it as the " monumentally ancient bill " before 

 it actually passed a third reading, for before 

 accomplishing this necessary final passage it 

 had gone to a second reading no less than seven 

 times. 



In the autumn he made a trip to Egypt, but 

 it does not seem to have resulted in any dis- 

 coveries of importance. At home he writes that 

 he was very successful in various expeditions 

 in search of flint implements. 



In the spring of 1874 Mr. Gladstone dissolved 

 Parliament, and Sir John Lubbock again stood 

 for Maidstone, this time in conjunction with Sir 

 Sydney Waterlow. The Maidstone electors re- 

 ceived him with enthusiasm. The South Eastern 

 Gazette, the leading Liberal paper, describing the 

 opening meeting at the Corn Exchange, said : 

 " The meeting was one of the largest and most 

 enthusiastic ever held in Maidstone. . . . Sir 

 John Lubbock received a perfect ovation." 



This year he passed the Falsification of 

 Accounts Bill. The legal conditions which led 



