THE ESSEX MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. 341
invitation of the Mayor (Alderman W. Ivey), and in the presence
of the Chairman of the Technical Instruction Committee (Alder-
man W. Crow, J.P..) the members of the Corporation, and a
large concourse of visitors, laid the first stone of the Essex
Museum of Natural History. Mr. David Howard, J.P., in pro-
posing a vote of thanks to Mr. Edwards for his enlightened
generosity shown on more than one occasion in the Borough,
and now in providing so largely for the erection of the Museum,
said that the Club would endeavour to make the collections
worthy of Mr. Edwards and of the building in which they were
to be placed. [Hear, hear.] He also handed to him a copy of
the resolution passed at the special meeting of the Club, on
October 4th, to the following effect :—
"That Mr. Howard, as President of the Essex Field Club, be asked to
convey to Mr. J. Passmore Edwards the cordial and grateful thanks of the
Club for his munificence in contributing so readily and so largely towards the
erection of a suitable building for the projected Essex Museum of Natural
History, and at the same time to express the Club's high appreciation of the
value of the impetus thus given to the important cause of local museums."
Mr. Councillor Boardman seconded the vote of thanks, and
remarked that he hoped the friendship between Mr. Passmore
Edwards and the Borough would deepen and widen. They were
looking forward to the future of that Museum, and were delighted
to think that it would be the Head-quarters of the Essex Field
Club. [Hear, hear.]
The motion was carried unanimously.
In reply, Mr. Passmore Edwards said that this being a
county Borough the Museum would belong to the county of
Essex more than to West Ham itself. He trusted that the two
institutions, the Technical Institute and the Museum, would
stand side by side as part and parcel of one great whole, and
that they would mutually work with each other. He could only
wish them both great prosperity and usefulness. [Loud
applause.]
The business details relating to the removal of the Club's
collections from Chelmsford must be left to the Council to explain
in their Annual Report. It will be sufficient to state that the
Sub-Committee appointed by the Council having come to an
arrangement with the representatives of the old Chelmsford
Museum Society, the rooms at Chelmsford have been given up
and the property of the Club is now stored in a suite of rooms at