326 LIFE OF SIR JOHN LUBBOCK cm. 



diary. Towards the end of the month Mrs. Van 

 Zandt came to stay with them. It was but the 

 day before this tragic event that Sir John records 

 in his diary, like a schoolboy just off for the 

 holidays, " At last — my final Council over ! A 

 great relief. Fardell proposed, Benn seconded, 

 and Russell and Thornton supported, a vote of 

 thanks to me in very kind and complimentary 

 speeches. In some respects I am sorry, but it 

 has been a great anxiety, and I am glad it is all 

 well over." 



The Council by this time was beginning to get 

 into its stride, and it had fallen to Sir John and 

 to Lord Rosebery to do much of the hard work 

 of the rough-rider in teaching it, at the same time 

 as they themselves learned, its paces. During 

 this month of March he was much interested in 

 the commission to settle the new coins. On the 

 10th he says, " We settled our Foreign Bond- 

 holders' report. Afterwards we had our final 

 meeting of the Coinage Commission. We have 

 agreed on designs, keeping Pistrucci's George and 

 Dragon, but for the rest adopting designs by 

 Brock, excepting the reverses of the Florin and 

 Shilling, which will be by Poynter." 



Sir Charles Fremantle, at this time Master of 

 the Mint, was his Vice-Chairman on the Council of 

 Foreign Bondholders. Sir Charles informed me 

 that he was most astonished to find how extensive 

 was Sir John's knowledge of coins. I pointed 

 out to him that Sir John's antiquarian studies 

 had of necessity incited him to a study of many 

 of the ancient coins, so that this was really not 

 such a wonderful example of his versatility. Sir 



