XXXIX FAILING HEALTH 233 



pressing him to accept the Presidency of the 

 Committee for organising the Franco - British 

 Exhibition, which it was proposed to hold in 

 London in 1908. But he dechned the rather 

 onerous post, though expressing all sympathy 

 with the objects of the Exhibition. 



On May 9, just after his return from the 

 Riviera, he was at work again, doubtless under 

 the impelling influence of his friend Lord Courtney, 

 at the old task on which they had laboured 

 in common — proportional representation. He 

 writes, under that date : " We had a proportional 

 representation meeting at St. James's Square. 

 Courtney, Westlake, Sir F. Pollock, Sir J. Gorst, 

 Bernard Shaw, and the Bishop of Hereford spoke. 

 The speeches were all good, and some amusing." 



Later in the year Lord Courtney is again 

 urging him to further exertions in the same 

 cause. The Proportional Representation Society 

 had organised an illustrative election. Some 

 thirteen thousand voting papers were sent in, 

 and altogether it was a great success. At 

 Woolwich, especially, the working men showed 

 great interest in it. 



Lord Courtney writes of it : 



15 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, S.W., 

 December 5th, 1900. 



My dear Avebury — Our Election promises to be a 

 great success. We shall probably have about 10,000 

 voting papers. The counting will begin to - morrow 

 night (Wednesday) at 6 o'clock at Caxton Hall, West- 

 minster. If you can come, as you half-promised, come 

 about 5.55 and call us to order at 6 sharp, when I may 

 say a few words — the fewest possible, so that the counting 

 shall go straight away. 



Encouraged by our great success we shall try our 



