XVII, INTEREST IN THE MUSEUM 233 



quise de San Carlos, Sir Francis and Lady Jeune, 

 Sir Clement and Lady Markham, Lady Morris, 

 Lady Jane Taylor, and Mrs. Holman Hunt. He 

 always undertook any amount of trouble to enable 

 people to enter into the beauties, and also to under- 

 stand the reasons for the number of specimens in 

 the national collections. His singularly pleasant 

 voice and readiness to answer questions greatly 

 facilitated this, whilst his own strong interest in 

 the subject made it attractive to others. As Mrs. 

 Vaughan remarked in the College of Surgeons 

 Museum, *' Professor Flower always handles bones 

 as if he loved them." 



His family dissuaded him from undertaking 

 more of this extra work, as prolonged standing 

 and continuous talking brought on palpitation. Still 

 he continued his duties in the Museum whenever 

 physically able, and was always glad to welcome 

 Mr. Charles Edward Fagan, the able and valued 

 secretary of the Museum, and any others of the staff, 

 for desired consultation in his house, Stanhope 

 Gardens, conveniently near the Museum. 



With his friend Sir Edward Maunde Thompson 

 his relations were always most cordial, they both 

 having the interests of the British Museum so 

 much at heart ; and when his illness increased, no 

 one could have been more kind and considerate 

 than the Chief Librarian in doing all he could to 

 spare Sir William effort and exhaustion in the 

 " Trustee meetings," whether at Bloomsbury or 



