XXXV POLITICAL, SOCIAL, LITERARY 169 



" Each of the Members of the Order present 

 then responded, and afterwards the Right 

 Honourable A. J. Balfour rose to propose the 

 toast of the Chairman. He said that never in 

 the history of the great metropolis, probably 

 never in the history of this country, had there 

 been gathered in a room of that size such a 

 body of undiluted distinction, and congratulated 

 Lord Avebury on the great success with which 

 he had filled an exceedingly difficult position. 

 The mallet, which had been specially made for 

 Lord Avebury's use on this occasion, is still 

 preserved among the Club's treasures, and bears 

 a small silver tablet recording the event. A 

 copy of the printed list of those who attended 

 the dinner is framed and exhibited in the gallery 

 of prints which illustrates the history of the 

 Club-house. It is a remarkable collection of 

 well-known names." 



A day or two after the dinner Mr. Tedder 

 writes : 



The Athenaeum, Pall, Mall, S.W., 

 July 2Slh, 1902. 



Dear Lord Avebury — I have just seen the Bishop 

 of Winchester, who tells me that the King read your 

 Speech with much interest. His Majesty seems to 

 have had a good deal of conversation with the Bishop 

 about the dinner and the proceedings generally. — 

 Believe me to remain, yours very faithfully, 



Henry Tedder, Secretary. 



Assuredly Mr. Tedder's estimate of Lord 

 Avebury's qualities as Chairman, whether of a 

 business meeting or a social gathering, is none 

 too high, though it could not well be higher. 

 No man, probably, ever has been in such keen 



