xxxviii ANGLO-GERMAN SOCIETY 211 



vehemently, and Lord Avebury rather less 

 strongly, disagreed. 



In May Eric went to Eton, where his brother 

 Harold had been for some years. Lord Avebury 

 affectionately writes : " We are very sorry to 

 lose him," On the 12th a note in his diary reads 

 rather quaintly : " Received the Diplodocus." 

 The Diplodocus is that immense reptile which 

 we regard with wonder and alarm at the Natural 

 History Museum, and sometimes re-create with 

 terror in our nightmares. It was given by Mr. 

 Andrew Carnegie, who attended at the formal 

 presentation, when it was received by Lord 

 Avebury on behalf of the British Museum. Dr. 

 Holland, who had set up the cast, was there also, 

 and gave a descriptive account of the great 

 occasion. Lord Avebury, Mr. Carnegie, Sir 

 George Trevelyan, and Professor Geikie were 

 the other speakers. The same day he went 

 " down to the Chamberlains at Highbury. The 

 Lord Chancellor, Lord Halsbury, Haldane, and 

 others there — ^a large dinner." The occasion 

 was the appointment of Lord Halsbury, in 

 succession to Lord Avebury, as Warden of the 

 University. 



He accepted re-election as President of the 

 Society of Antiquaries, being expressly urged 

 to undertake it on account of some little friction 

 between some of the members at that time. 

 The trouble was quickly smoothed over, and 

 peace restored. 



He had a disappointment in the summer in 

 regard to the Sunday Closing Bill. He writes, 

 June 29 : " The Sunday Closing Bill was down 



