284 LIFE OF SIR JOHN LUBBOCK «.. 



" took the Chair at a large meeting in the Cannon 

 Street Great Hall on British Empire Trade 

 Marks. They decided in favour after an interest- 

 ing discussion. Then took the Chair at an Old 

 Age Pensions meeting." The next day he had 

 one of his breakfast -parties, and two days 

 later " motored to Sunningdale to lunch with the 

 Hookers, dropping Alice at Eton on the way. 

 Eric flourishing. Found the Hookers very well. 

 He has a photograph of the greatest oak in the 

 world. It is in California, and is called ' the 

 Hooker oak.' ' Very appropriately,' said a neigh- 

 bour, ' as you planted it.' " The distinguished 

 botanist was of an advanced age, but perhaps 

 scarcely of such patriarchal years as to have 

 planted the greatest oak in the world. 



The following day he writes : " Bad cold." 

 But still " saw Sir F. Lascelles about an 

 Anglo-German Conciliation Committee. Then to 

 London Chamber of Commerce to discuss the 

 Declaration of London." 



Following that, however, which was on the 

 last day of October, comes the announcement on 

 November 1 : " Philpot " [the doctor] " sent me to 

 bed." However, he was soon up again — prob- 

 ably sooner than he should have been — and full 

 of engagements, but on the 19th the order was 

 more drastic : " to bed for a fortnight." This was 

 to give him the rest which he much needed, but 

 would not take, as much as on account of the 

 cold and cough which were heavy on him. After 

 this, until the end of the year, he went once to 

 the Bank, but attended no public function. 



He was busy, however, from his room. Lord 



