An Autobiography of an Ancient Athlete & Antiquarian

AUTOBIOGRAPHY IIg " Manners," &c., lecture to the Teachers' Guild on the 6th, and on the 7th went up to see the Oxford and Cambridge match at Roehampton, and took the chair at the dinner at the "Trocadero," sleeping at Voelcker's. All the 8th I was poisoned with dense tobacco smoke when I was not attending his Presbyterian service, and felt unwell from both causes. On the 9th was my last official visit to my old office at Golden Square, which I had seen first 43 years before, in 1858. At Christmas D. M.R. came down and we went to see the erosion of sea at Lowestoft and on to Lammas by waggonette for our Christmas feast. On 30th I was at the Tasburgh Parish Dinner, where I spoke fairly well. I published nothing this year (1901), being very busy compiling the Norwich Calendars. The year 1902 was a busy one for me in many respects. I gladly joined in Mrs. Laura Stuart's movement to found a local branch of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Society, and have been a regular member of the local Committee ever since. At the end of January I was asked to help in the Art Exhibition at St. Andrew's Hall, got up by Mrs. Russell Colman for the benefit of a charity, and ultimately was chosen Hon. Sec. of the Antiquarian Section. On the 15th February I went all over the county borrowing exhibits, a not unpleasant if tiring occupation. The result was very satisfactory in a monetary point of view, and the collection got to};;ether an extremely fine one, though I had great difficulty in obtaining for it the ample protection against fire and burglary, on which my Committee had insisted by the instructions of Prince F. Duleep Singh and others. In fact, the very laudable desire of the charitable promoters to increase their profits by cutting down the insurance and watching lead to considerable friction, and I insured on my own account, and should have applied for an injunction if necessary as to inadequate protection had they not given way. The work of collection, and afterwards of the return of exhibits, was very heavy and incessant, and practically lasted from the 1st to the 29th April, and I never want such another job again, for it was a very thankless one,