260 LIFE OF SIR JOHN LUBBOCK oh. 



Rulers. The leaders of both sections determined 

 to remain united for the present. 



Each of the Metropolitan Liberal Associations 

 sent representatives to the Central Radical 

 " Caucus." The City Association nominated Sir 

 John as one of their delegates, and after some 

 hesitation he consented to serve, thinking that he 

 would thus maintain the right of Liberal Unionists 

 to regard themselves as Liberals, and in the fond 

 hope that some day a reunion of the old party 

 might be possible. This position he held for 

 some years, but being the only Unionist on the 

 " Caucus " he thought it better not to attend the 

 meetings. 



On May 20 he started with Lady Lubbock and 

 their two daughters for a short holiday in 

 Switzerland, and stayed at Weggis on the Lake 

 of Lucerne. On June 7 they went to see the 

 landslip at Spiringen. " It was a wonderful 

 sight, the mountain side was still crumbling, 

 and every now and then great masses came crash- 

 ing and roaring down, every now and then leaping 

 high in the air and throwing up great clouds of 

 dust." He remarks that it helped to enable him 

 to realise, however faintly, what the greater 

 landslips at Goldau, and still more at Waldhaus 

 Flims, must have been like. 



The following is a charmingly expressed in- 

 vitation from Mr. Ruskin : 



Brantwood, 



14 June '87. 



Dear Sir John — And will you really come ? It's 

 so wonderful to think that you can forgive me all the 

 ill-tempered things I have said about insects and evolu- 

 tion and — everything nearly that you've been most 



