48 LIFE OF SIR JOHN LUBBOCK en. 



Bolton Abbey, Skipton, 

 May 24,th, 1895. 



My dear Lubbock — If you cannot find another 

 President I will accept provisionally, if they will take 

 Sir R. Herbert's suggestions, but I shall hope to be 

 relieved before long. 



I shall be back in London on Monday, and shall 

 no doubt hear from you as to the proposed Mansion 

 House meeting. — Yours sincerely, Devonshire. 



The movement finally resulted in the formation 

 of the League v^^ith the Duke of Devonshire as 

 President, Sir R. Herbert as Chairman of the 

 Council, and Sir John as Treasurer. The Queen 

 became Patron, and after the Jubilee many 

 prominent Colonial Statesmen associated them- 

 selves with it. Canada, under the guidance of 

 Colonel Sanderson and Mr. Tupper, gave prompt 

 and most cordial support. 



Pressure was then put on Sir John to accept 

 the chairmanship of the Council of the League, 

 but he did not wish to allow any further claims on 

 his time, and his objection to the multiplication 

 of Committees confirmed him in a disinclination 

 to take the post. 



On June 21 he went with Sir M. Grant Duff 

 and Mr. Hanbury to Teesdale, on a botanical 

 expedition, but had scarcely got there when they 

 were all startled by the announcement that Mr. 

 Gladstone had resigned, and that Parliament was 

 to be dissolved at once. 



His seat at the University was threatened 

 on two sides. Firstly by those who were anxious 

 as to the establishment of a so-called Teaching 

 University, and considered that he was not 

 sufficiently in harmony with their ideas ; and on 



