THE PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS.
31
It will be in the recollection of members that the meeting at
which I took the chair as your President for the first time, on
April 15th, 1893, was the first meeting of the amalgamated societies
—the Essex and Chelmsford Museum and the Essex Field Club—
and it will be interesting to recount, and put upon record, what has
been done since then in remodelling our Museum and Library.
After the amalgamation of the two Societies took place, the remodel-
ling of the Museum was the first matter that had to be taken in hand.
As, of course, no one could give a very continuous amount of time
to this work, it has proceeded but slowly, but I think I may now say
that as far as regards the cases the remodelling has been, in great
measure, completed, and considerable progress has been made in the
re-arrangement of the specimens. As for instance, the collection of
Birds has not only been very much added to, but has been so
arranged as to be of practical use to the student. The Herbarium
has also been arranged, and is now available for use. The very
valuable collection of Crag Fossils, presented by our member, Mr.
G. P. Hope, is also available for use, and the collection of Flint
Implements and allied relics is also in course of arrangement. The
Tusk and Jaw of the Mammoth, and the Jaw of Rhinoceros dug up
at Chelmsford are amongst the most interesting and recent additions.
As regards the Library, progress has been made in arranging the
books, and in the preparation of a catalogue. The members will be
glad to know also that not only will the Museum be of interest to
visitors, but that it has already been made use of for students, as
Mr. Houston, (Staff-teacher of Biology to the Technical Instruction
Committee), has held two classes there, for the convenience of
illustration by specimens in the Museum, and it is to be hoped that
in the future increased use will be made of it for like purposes.
The most important matter, however, which has been carried
out during the last two or three years in this county is the question
of Technical Education. It will probably be in the recollection of
most of our members that in 1890 when the Essex County
Council advertised for applications for grants for technical educa-
tion, the Council and members of this Club, after careful considera-
tion and discussion, came to the conclusion that the most effective
way of dealing with the large sum of money, £17,000, placed under
the control of the Essex County Council, would be by forming a
central educational establishment, consisting of a museum, labora-
tories, and class-rooms, furnished with all the necessary apparatus,