RESIGNS CHAIRMANSHIP 321 



Mentmore, Leighton Buzzard, 

 Feb. 6, 1892. 



My dear Lubbock — Your kind note greeted me on 

 my return here from Italy yesterday. I should greatly 

 like to assist at your dinner, as I also wish to assist at 

 that to be given to you by the City Liberal Club. But, 

 frankly, all depends on sleep with me just now. If I 

 get two consecutive nights of fair sleep, I am all right ; 

 if, as too often happens, I have bad nights, I am all 

 wrong. And it is so long since I have dined out, 

 that I would ask you to let me leave it open till close 

 upon the day. You do not need the assurance that I 

 will if I can. 



I have seen much of Farrer. He is wonderfully well 

 and vigorous ; sitting in the sunshine in a noble view ; 

 and pretty good on his crutches. ... I am afraid you 

 have had great trouble of late — alone in your chair 

 without Deputy, or Vice in any form ; and with Chair- 

 men crumbling around you. But you have fairly 

 crested the wave ; and, not content with presiding 

 over all London wholesale, and half London in detail, 

 you have written (I suppose with your unoccupied toes) 

 two articles on London subjects this month ! You are a 

 marvel. — Yours sincerely, Rosebery. 



Lord Farrer himself wrote his congratulations 

 and regrets, to which Sir John replies : " Many 

 thanks for your very kind letter. It has been a 

 great pleasure to me working with you, and your 

 advice and help have been invaluable." 



The articles referred to by Lord Rosebery are 

 the one on the " Government of London " in the 

 Fortnightly, and the other on the " London 

 Water Supply " in the Nineteenth Century. I 

 think that Lord Farrer had assisted him with a 

 few notes on the latter subject, for they are the 

 subject of the reference in the first sentence or 

 two of the following letter, of which the latter 

 part refers to the Senses of Animals. 



VOL. I Y 



