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THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
The President said he questioned whether it would not be cheaper to
maintain the walls than to keep up the endless series of lights which would be
required to mark the shoals and quicksands. He did not know whether they
knew the road from Queenborough to Flushing, but there were lights all
along showing how shallow the water was, and what a very little rise in the
land would be required to join them with Holland.
A very interesting discussion followed, carried on by the President,
Prof. Meldola, Mr. Holmes, Mr. Float, Mr. W. Cole (who stated it was esti-
mated that 5,000 acres had gone from Essex permanently as a consequence of
the November overflow), and others, and thanks were voted to the authors of
the papers.
Prof. Meldola proposed that a vote of thanks be accorded to Mr. Ashley
for having made their visit to the Waterworks so interesting, and for the
admirable and lucid explanations he had given them.
The President seconded, and the vote was carried with acclamation.
MEETING AT WITHAM, BLACK NOTLEY AND
STISTED HALL.
Saturday, July 23rd, 1898.
The object and business of the Preliminary Conference between the
three "East Anglian" Scientific Societies—the Norfolk and Norwich Natural
History Society, the Ipswich Scientific Society and the Essex Field Club—is
fully set forth in the separate article in the present volume (pp. 360-68). After
the business of the Conference, lunch was served at the "Spread Eagle"
Hotel, members of the other societies being guests of the Essex Field Club.
After luncheon, the remainder of the day was devoted to a driving
excursion through Faulkbourne, White Notley, Black Notley, Bulford Mill, and
Cressing, to Stisted Hall, the beautiful residence of the Mayor of Colchester.
It is unnecessary to repeat the full account of Ray's birthplace, life at Black
Notley and tomb, given in the report of the former visit of the Club in July, 1895
(see. report of meeting in the Proceedings E. F. C, vol. iv, pp. clvii.-clxxii. and to
Prof. Boulger's paper on "The Domestic Life of John Ray at Black Notley"
and Mr. E. A. Fitch's on "John Ray as an Entomologist" in the same volume).
A halt was made at "Dewlands," Ray's home for the twenty years preceding
his death, where the party was welcomed by the new owner, Mr. Turner.
Prof. Boulger was the expositor here, and said that "Dewlands" was built by
Ray for his mother, and at her death in 1679 he. moved thither himself from
Faulkbourne Hall, where he was engaged as tutor. At "Dewlands" his
later works were written, and there he died. The pilgrimage was continued to
the churchyard, where, by the tomb of Ray, the rector (Rev. Augustus
Shears), mentioned that the date of birth commonly accepted, and placed on
the grave, was shown by the parish register to be five months too soon.—
Prof. Boulger said that both the dates of birth and death upon the tomb
(which was erected by the Ray Society) were wrong, there being evidence
from Ray's own words, that he was born in 1627, not 1628, while his death
took place in 1704-5 not 1705-6.