THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
113
Biographies. Among the biographical notices of Essex
scientific worthies I may refer to Professor Boulger's presi-
dential address in 1885, dealing with the life and work of
our most illustrious naturalist, John Ray (Trans. IV., 171),
supplemented by another paper on the domestic life of
John Ray at Black Notley, also by Prof. Boulger (Proc. IV.,
clix.), and by another on John Ray as an entomologist, by Mr.
Fitch (Ibid. clxv.) A notice of Benjamin Allen, of Braintree,
the contemporary of Ray was published by Mr. Fitch in 1890
(Essex Naturalist IV., 192). Prof. Boulger also gave us in
1888 a paper on the life and works of the celebrated Dr. Derham
of Upminster (Ibid. II., 133), but this does not appear to have
been published. A meeting in conjunction with the Gilbert
Clubat Colchester, in 1890 (Ibid. IV., 174), gave an opportunity
for the communication to the Club by my colleague, Prof.
Silvanus P. Thompson, of a life of Dr. William Gilbert, the
author of the great work on The Magnet and founder of the
science of electricity (Ibid. V., 50). Prof. Thompson, I may
add, had previously in 1887 lectured to the Club on Gilbert's
magnetic work (Ibid. I., 94). Christopher Saxton, the draughts-
man of the oldest known map of Essex, formed the subject of a
notice by Mr. Avery, in 1898 (Ibid, XL, 240). Izaak Walton's
association with the River Lea formed the subject of a paper
read by Mr. Harting in 1894 (Ibid. VIII., 186). Among Essex
scientific worthies of later times I may refer to Christopher
Parsons, noticed by Mr. Fitch (Ibid. III., 55), and John Brown,
of Stanway, whose life was published by Mr. A. P. Wire in 1890
(Ibid. IV., 158) and supplemented in 1898 by a note by Messrs.
Kennard and Woodward on a manuscript note-book left by that
famous old naturalist and now in the library of the British
Museum of Natural History (Ibid. X., 288).
A visit of the Club to Constable's country, the vale of
Dedham, in 1893, enabled us to receive from Mr. Charles
Benham a paper on "John Constable as a Naturalist" (Ibid.
VII,; 112).
Topography. The conductors of our field meetings have in
many cases been at great pains to draw up interesting accounts
of the places visited, and we have thus published some few
papers and many notes which may be classed as topographical
contributions. A meeting at Chigwell in July, 1881, produced a
most interesting history of that place from the pen of Mr. T.