180 LIFE OF SIR JOHN LUBBOCK ch. 



year in which he began to have considerably more 

 leisure than before. It was a time of great 

 popular enthusiasm over the course of the war in 

 South Africa. His son Norman went out to the 

 war, starting on February 17, but was home 

 again in November. On March 1 Lord Avebury 

 notes : " Ladysmith relieved by BuUer. Great 

 excitement. A crowd began to collect before 

 10 o'clock in front of the Mansion House, and 

 gradually increased, stopping all the traffic. At 

 2 it occupied the whole space as far as the Royal 

 Exchange, up Prince's Street, Cheapside and King 

 William Street, and at 2.30 I went over to the 

 Mansion House and suggested to the Lord Mayor 

 to announce, and instruct the police, that at 3 he 

 would come out and say a few words and suggest 

 that they should sing ' God save the Queen,' and 

 then disperse. He thought it a good idea, and 

 it was acted on. He asked me to stay, and I went 

 out on the balcony with him and the Lady 

 Mayoress. It was a memorable sight." 



Towards the end of May, Lord Avebury went 

 with his daughter Ursula a trip to study the 

 head waters of the Thames, and the early story 

 of the river. The results are to be read in The 

 Scenery of England. At the same time he opened 

 the new library at Gloucester, where they were 

 guests of Mr. and Mrs. Waller. 



In the autumn they took a house at Tenby for 

 six weeks, and chartered a steamer which enabled 

 them to see the interesting coast scenery in a 

 very convenient way. He played golf and took 

 much active exercise, actually bathing in the 

 open sea. 



