152 LIFE OF SIR JOHN LUBBOCK ch. 



He had been laid up with influenza in the 

 early part of February, but soon threw off the 

 attack, and does not seem to have suffered any 

 subsequent weakness. On March 4 he gave an 

 address to the Chamber of Commerce about which 

 Mr. Harold Cox writes, asking permission to 

 publish it on behalf of the Cobden Club. He 

 speaks of it as a " splendid " address, and ex- 

 presses the regret of the Club that " so good 

 a free-trader " as Lord Avebury is not a member. 



There are many entries in the diary of this year 

 about golf, generally at Mitcham or Richmond, the 

 Lord Chancellor and the Speaker being his most 

 frequent play-fellows. And his almost weekly 

 breakfast -parties seem to have been very well 

 attended, although some of his friends continued 

 to expostulate with him on so " archaic " a 

 form of hospitality. 



His new book. The Scenery of England, supplied 

 him with material ready to hand for lectures, 

 given under the same title and in various places. 

 His lucid and simple language and his acute 

 knowledge of what would interest his audience 

 made him an ideal lecturer. It was a mode of 

 exposition which came extremely easy to him, 

 and which he made equally easy for his hearers. 

 The lectures were always crowded. From one 

 at the Egyptian Hall many had to be turned away 

 because the house was full. But in his interest 

 in his new subject of the " scenery," his old 

 friends the ants were not forgotten, and one of 

 the lectures of this year was on that old familiar 

 subject. 



Out of a very large number of appreciative 



