190 THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



won't go in. So Arstingstall puts two elephants behind him and a man 

 on top of the car. Then he gave the word. The old she-elephant 

 started to pull, and the two other elephants to butt Jumbo from behind. 

 The man on the top of the car fetched him a blow over the head with a 

 crowbar. Jumbo ducked, and he shot into the car like a sack of coals. 

 He never wanted any more coaxing. 



Mr. Justice Chitty delivered judgment on March 8, and is 

 thus reported in the Times of the following day : 



The result of the evidence was that it was a fair question for the 

 Council whether they would keep Jumbo, or would run the risk of his 

 becoming dangerous. If he granted the injunction he should be taking the 

 management out of the hands of the Society, which he did not intend to 

 do. If, after the report of Mr. Bartlett, the animal should become 

 dangerous, and injure any of the public the Society would be liable. It 

 was impossible for a court of justice to say the Council had not exercised 

 their powers reasonably. The result was that the motion failed, and as he 

 thought there was no ground for it he must refuse it with costs. 



Even this weighty judgment failed to put an end to the 

 agitation. Public meetings were held and communications sent 

 to the Press, with the view of influencing the Council. Wild 

 assertions were made about the value of Jumbo, and the 

 Governing Body was accused of neglect of duty in allowing 

 what was termed " a unique specimen " to leave the country. 

 The height of absurdity was reached in a letter to the Times of 

 March 16, in which the animal was compared to perhaps the 

 most important of the sacred manuscripts: 



The trustees of the British Museum have an express power to 

 dispose of duplicates and other useless or superfluous books. But if 

 they sold the " Codex Alexandrinus " or any other precious volume to 

 the injury of the library, would not a Court interfere 1 



At the monthly general meeting on the following day 

 Mr. Berkeley Hill and Mr. H. C. Burdett disclaimed all feeling 

 of hostility towards the Council and the executive officers. 

 Professor Huxley, the Hon. S. Gathorne Hardy, and Dr. 

 GUnther strongly supported the action of the Council. 

 The President (Professor Flower) is reported as having 

 " animadverted in strong terms upon the bad motives attri- 

 buted by certain writers in the newspapers, and still more by 

 the senders of anonymous communications, to the Council." 



