COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 13 



to make his friends. Please to accept this picture 

 as a mark of the esteem of your many warm friends 

 and well-wishers in Northamptonshire. And now, 

 gentlemen, when I ask you to drink the toast, I 

 congratulate you upon the admirable likeness which 

 has been painted by Sir Francis Grant of one of the 

 best sportsmen in England.' 



" When the chairman requested Captain Thom- 

 son's acceptance of the testimonial, the curtain was 

 withdrawn from before the picture, which was placed 

 at the west end of the room, and the exposure of it 

 was received with prolonged and deafening cheers. 



" Captain Thomson said: 'Colonel Loyd- Lindsay, 

 I thank you most truly and most sincerely. Any 

 words which I may find to express my feelings, I 

 assure you, appear to me to be very cold and very 

 feeble. At the same time I assure you that, although 

 the expression of my thanks may be imperfect, my 

 gratitude is very great. I can only repeat to you 

 my thanks again and again. I see around me a vast 

 and influential assembly of all ranks, and of all pro- 

 fessions and opinions, and I am, indeed, surprised 

 and astonished that you should have done me the 

 honour to have assembled in such numbers on this 

 occasion. I also see around me many old friends 

 and many old comrades, who, for the sake of clays 

 long gone by, have come here to rejoice with me 

 this evening. Your presence here this evening has, 

 however, another significance, and a very important 

 one, for, as our worthy chairman has said, you have 

 come here to make a demonstration in favour of 



