308 LIFE OF SIR JOHN LUBBOCK ch. 



dead of night, and twice he fainted. Harold and 

 I were up with him all night. . . . The last 

 meeting he went to (on Free Trade, I think) at 

 the Cannon Street Hotel, I took him to with 

 trembling and fear ; but he spoke beautifully, 

 firmly, and was quite audible at the end of the 

 enormous hall. He never looked once at his 

 notes. He looked so frail, I shall never forget 

 my agony nor my joy when it was over and I got 

 him safely away. The last speech he ever made 

 was in this house " (48 Grosvenor Street), " when 

 they came with an illuminated address from the 

 British- German business. The Duke of Argyll 

 read it out. I remember he stood with little 

 Henry Pelham and Jean Grant Duff " (grand- 

 children), " holding their hands, and they took a 

 flash-light photograph of the three, and Henry 

 burst into tears because of the flash and noise." 



For the moment, however, and during the 

 latter months of 1912, he was able to lead some- 

 thing not unlike his ordinary greatly occupied 

 life. On October 10 he had a breakfast party, 

 and in the afternoon, at the Chamber of Com- 

 merce, "proposed my resolution on making private 

 property at sea free of capture and seizure. There 

 was a feeling for a special committee, to which 

 I agreed. They are to report by the middle of 

 December." 



The following account was drawn up of the 

 resolution, and of a previous meeting on the 

 same subject : 



