xxx BIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION 



M.P., President of the Board of Agriculture, presided. The 

 Duke of Westminster, as President of the Royal Agricultural 

 Society, presented to Sir John Lawes his portrait, painted by 

 H. Herkomer, R.A., and to Dr J. H. Gilbert, a silver salver. 

 He also presented congratulatory addresses to both Lawes and 

 Gilbert from the subscribers to the fund, each address being 

 signed by H.R.H. the Prince of Wales. The presentation of a 

 large number of addresses from English and Foreign Societies 

 then followed, including one from the Royal Society. Sir 

 John Lawes and Dr Gilbert then replied. A few of the 

 words spoken by Sir John Lawes must be quoted. "That 

 afternoon he had to return thanks to that distinguished and 

 brilliant assembly for their kind congratulations to himself and 

 Dr Gilbert upon the work that they had been carrying on for 

 the last fifty years. When two people were joined together in 

 marriage they could not part, because they were bound 

 together by very solemn ties. But with regard to himself and 

 Dr Gilbert the case was quite different, Dr Gilbert could have 

 left him, or he could have left Dr Gilbert. Their connection, 

 however, had lasted for more than fifty years. What was the 

 cause ? Nothing less than mutual love of the work they had 

 been engaged in. He (Sir John) had delighted in the work 

 from the beginning. All the time he could spare in the midst 

 of many other responsibilities and duties he had given to the 

 work. But with Dr Gilbert it had been the work of his life. 

 If it had not been for Dr Gilbert's collaboration their investiga- 

 tions would have been in a very different state to what they 

 were then." 



Shortly after the Jubilee celebration Dr Gilbert received 

 the honour of knighthood. In September of the same year 

 the Liebig Silver Medal was awarded to Sir John Lawes and 

 Sir Henry Gilbert by the curators of the Liebig Foundation of 

 the Royal Bavarian Academy of Sciences. In the following 

 year, 1894, the Albert Gold Medal of the Society of Arts was 

 presented to Lawes and Gilbert by H.R.H. the Prince of 

 Wales, "for their joint services to scientific agriculture, and 



