69
THE LOCAL (ESSEX) MUSEUM, LABORATORY,
AND LIBRARY.
Wednesday, March 18th, 1891.
A PUBLIC Meeting, convened on behalf of their respective Societies by Mr.
W. Cole, Hon. Sec. to the Essex Field. Club, and Mr. Edmund Durrant,
Hon. Sec. to the Essex and Chelmsford Museum, was held in the Grand Jury
Room of the Shire Hall, Chelmsford, on Wednesday evening, March 18th,
1891, at seven o'clock, Mr. W. J. Beadel, M.P., in the chair. There was a large
and representative attendance, not only from Chelmsford and its neighbourhood,
but also from other parts of the county and from London ; the attendance
would have been larger, had not a Town Council and other meetings, and the
lamented sudden death of Mr. Alderman Grey, prevented many from being
present.
The Chairman, in opening the proceedings, said that they had met to lay the
foundation of something which he trusted would be highly beneficial, not only to
themselves, but more particularly to those who succeeded them. The Essex Field
Club and the Chelmsford Museum had arranged a scheme which, no doubt,
would result in great good to the county at large. (Applause). No man was
more proud of his county than he was of his. (Applause). He frequently had
the opportunity of hearing Essex abused, but he had the satisfaction of telling
those who abused it that the abuse was simply the result of absolute ignorance.
(Laughter). The step they were about to take would, he believed, dispel many
of the illusions which had existed with regard to the county. Those who had
prepared the scheme before them had taken very considerable pains to arrive at
something which would be for the benefit of the community at large, and it
would be a satisfaction to them to feel that the inauguration had taken place that
night, and that they had been sowing seed on good ground, where it would fruc-
tify and would bring forth great benefit to the people of the county. (Applause).
Mr. W. Cole (Hon. Sec.), announced that the following had agreed to act as
Trustees of the proposed Museum, under the conditions imposed by the scheme :
Lord Brooke, M.P., Sir T. Fowell Buxton, Bart., Mr. G. P. Hope, the Arch-
deacon of Essex, Professor Meldola, F.R.S., Lord Rayleigh, F.R.S., and Mr.
W. M. Tufnell. The bankers would be Messrs. Sparrow, Tufnell, and Co.,
Chelmsford, and the National Bank, London.
The Secretary also read a number of letters from prominent men who had taken
an interest in the scheme, but who, from various causes, were unable to be present at
the meeting, including: Prof. G. S. Boulger, Mr. James Britten, F.L.S., Sir T. Fowell
Buxton, Bart., Mr. Horace Fulton, M.P., Mr. E. B. Knobel (Secretary to the Royal
Astronomical Society), Sir John Lubbock, Bart., M.P., F.R.S., Colonel Makins, M.P.,
Mr. R. McLachlan, F.R.S., Prof. Meldola, F.R.S., Mr. H. B. Monckton, F.G.S.,
Mr. Hildebrand Ramsden, F.L.S., Right Hon. Lord Rayleigh, F.R.S., Right 
Hon. Lord Reay, Sir Henry Roscoe, M.P., F.R.S., Mr. J. Round, M.P., Sir H
Selwin-Ibbetson, Bart., M.P., Dr. Henry Woodward, F R.S., &c., &c. Sir John
Lubbock wrote: "I sincerely trust that the Essex County Council will devote the
sum receivable from the Wine and Spirit Duties to Technical Instruction in
accordance with the Act of Parliament, for it seems clear that we must improve
our system of education in this respect if we are to hold our own in the future.