410 THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
TEE 183RD ORDINARY MEETING.
Saturday, December 17TH, 1898.
The 183rd Ordinary Meeting was held in the Physical Theatre of the
Municipal Technical Institute, Romford-road, Stratford, at 4 o'clock p.m.,
Professor R. Meldola, F.R S., Vice-President, in the chair,
The Chairman proposed that the Club should pass a cordial vote of
thanks to the Technical Instruction Committee of the Borough of West Ham,
and to Mr. Briscoe, B.Sc, the Principal of the Institute, for the very kind
way in which the wants and wishes of the Club with respect to the proposed
meetings in the Institute had been met by them. As explained on the
circular which had been sent to the Members, it was proposed in the future
to hold the greater number of the winter meetings of the Club in the
Institute.
The vote of thanks was carried by acclamation.
Mr. Briscoe, who was present, briefly replied, and said it was with great
pleasure that on behalf of the Committee and the staff of the Institute he
welcomed the Essex Field Club there, as a Society which had done so much
to further the cause of scientific research and education in Essex. He hoped
that the connection between the Club and the Institute, through the adjoin-
ing Museum, would long continue. Anything that he and his staff could do
to aid the work of the Club they would do willingly, and they would consider
it a privilege.
Messrs. Clifford F. Bull, J. Lewis Ffytche, F.S.A., W. Ping, M.A.,
F.C.S., and Alderman F. Smith, J.P., were elected members.
Mr. Avery read a further note upon Christopher Saxon, whose map of
Essex, dated 1576, the oldest known map of the County, he exhibited. He
also showed some fine prints of views in various parts of Essex, and amongst
them a plate entitled, " Another View of Wanstead House," taken from the
garden, and not from near the basin as usual. Mr. Avery said that the plates
he exhibited formed part of a set from his collection which he proposed to
place at the disposal of the Curator on loan for exhibition in the new
Museum when completed. (Mr. Avery's Note will appear in the next
volume).
Mr. Crouch expressed his admiration at the fineness of the plate
exhibited, and gave a few particulars of the later history of Wanstead
House.
Prof, Meldola, referring to Saxon's map, said it was a misfortune that in
old maps they could not safely rely upon the accuracy of the coast lines laid
down upon them. In Saxon's map Walton was placed at some distance
from the coast; if we could be sure that this was correctly set down, it would
throw much light on the rate of erosion of the coast, a subject which was
now greatly occupying the attention of geologists.
Mr. W. M. Webb, F.L.S., exhibited the specimen of the Centipede,
Scutigera coleoptrata, found at Colchester for the first time in England, which
formed the subject of his note in the last part of the Essex Naturalist
(ants p. 371).
Professor Meldola suggested that the myriopod might have been intro-
duced amongst the roots of imported plants.