174 LIFE OF SIR JOHN LUBBOCK 



ingly moved a resolution. The Bill had always 

 been approved by the Liberal front bench, and 

 he took it for granted that his resolution would 

 be supported by the Liberal Government. Indeed 

 the Whips themselves were of that opinion. 



It came on about 10.30 on March 11, and 

 just before it was taken Lord R. Grosvenor 

 came to him in much surprise to say that Mr. 

 Gladstone was going to oppose, and suggested that 

 perhaps the resolution had better be withdrawn. 

 Sir John, however, declined to do so, and to 

 his own astonishment, as well as that of others, 

 beat the Government by 79 to 56. 



It was curious that he should not have been 

 fully informed of Mr. Gladstone's intentions in 

 the matter. Earlier in the year Mr. and Mrs. 

 Gladstone had been at High Elms — Mr. Glad- 

 stone " in great spirits " as Sir John notes. 

 But evidently this opposition did not check in 

 any way their mutual esteem, for he further 

 writes that on April 4 he dined with Sir T. E. May 

 where Gladstone was, and had much friendly 

 talk with him. Gladstone told him that once 

 when he was Chancellor of the Exchequer he 

 found that the Malt Tax had been levied for 

 three years without authority ! 



He spent the Whitsuntide holidays in the 

 New Forest. His eldest son John was now at 

 Balliol, and he frequently went to Oxford, some- 

 times accompanied by his two eldest daughters, 

 to stay with Professor Jowett. 



On May 24 he was elected President of the 

 Linnean Society. 



It does not appear that he took any active 



