DESTRUCTION OF JOHN RAY'S HOUSE. 331
The ceremony closed with a vote of thanks to the Mayor for presiding,
moved by Councillor Alden and seconded by Councillor Steward. Councillor
Alden remarked that, although the Mayor was practically an infant in the
chair, he was by no means an infant in municipal work, for he had been an
earnest worker in the Town Council for every good cause.
The Mayor acknowledged the vote, after which the company made a
tour of inspection round the Museum and Institute.
After the ceremony of opening the Technical Institute was over, the
Countess visited the Library, and was greatly interested in the arrangement
of the various rooms, which were explained to her Ladyship by Mr. Cot-
greave, the Borough Librarian. She was particularly pleased with the
juvenile department and the ladies' reading-room, and expressed her intention
of paying another visit when she had sufficient time to inspect the whole of
the Library. Before leaving, her Ladyship signed the visitors' book and
accepted copies of the Souvenir of the Opening of the Institute and Mr.
Cotgreave's Contents-Subject Index to English Literature.
[The portrait of Lady Warwick is from a photograph specially taken ;
that of Mr. Passmore Edwards is lent by Mr. Cotgreave, the Borough
Librarian, and the view of the Museum is kindly lent by the Editor of the
South Essex Mail. Another portrait of Mr. Edwards is given in the Museum
Handbook No. 3, alluded to above. Ed.]
DESTRUCTION OF JOHN RAY'S HOUSE.
The most interesting local memorial of the greatest of
English botanists has perished by fire—"Dewlands," the
"Mecca of Essex naturalists," for 25 years the residence of
John Ray, can never again be the focus of such meetings as
those held by the Club at this picturesque old house in 1885
and 1898. It was on the afternoon of September 19th last
that this grievous disaster occurred. How the fire commenced
is a mystery ; one account suggests the smouldering of a beam
near the flue, another that linen hung by the kitchen fire was
the cause. All the family were out ; the owner, Mr. Charles
Turner, working in the fields near, was only able at some risk to
rescue a few valuable articles, and by the aid of neighbours to
remove some of the furniture. The Braintree Fire Brigade
arrived in a short time, and did good service by preventing the
flames from spreading to the farm buildings, but nothing could
be done to save the house, which burned with extreme rapidity,
being built of timber and plaster. The house was insured, but