190 LIFE OF SIR JOHN LUBBOCK ch. 



been for years legal adviser to the Chinese 

 Government. The gist of it was to show that 

 such a practice certainly existed. 



On August 13 they entered into residence 

 at the " seagirt Castle," as some writer described 

 it, at Kingsgate, though it was still in a state 

 of considerable unpreparedness. Its situation 

 gave the opportunity for some picturesque 

 writing, and one provincial evening paper in- 

 formed its readers that " at high water the sea 

 washes the very battlements of the Castle." It 

 did not mention what was happening to the 

 basement in the meantime. 



The Castle makes a great feature in the land- 

 scape, standing rather like Tantallon Castle, 

 on the verge of the cliff. Mr. Alfred Harmsworth 

 (now Lord Northcliffe), living at Elmwood, St. 

 Peter's, writes expressly to thank him for the 

 great improvement in the landscape wrought 

 by the reconstruction. 



Sir Mountstuart Grant Duff writes to him 

 from Colchester, respecting the great annual 

 feast of bivalves for which that place is famous : 



Lexdkn Park, Colchesteb, 

 September 20th, 1903. 



My dear Avebury — There is a great desire amongst 

 good people that you should be the principal guest at 

 the Oyster Feast here, on Thursday, the 22nd inst., 

 at 1/2 p. 1 o'clock. It is not a political occasion in the 

 strict sense, like the Colston dinner at Bristol ; but is 

 nevertheless an opportunity for an eminent public 

 man to say anything that he wishes to say. 



The Mayor after consultation with other leading 

 personages asked me last night to sound you on this 

 subject, of course if you say " yes " by letter or telegram 

 I will immediately communicate with him, and he will 

 send a formal invitation. 



