180
THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
past topography of West Ham, and made some interesting remarks
upon the exhibits.
The Curator exhibited an album from the Club's Pictorial Survey of
the County, containing photographs and prints of old West Ham and
Barking.
Votes of thanks were passed to the exhibitors.
Mr. Charles Whitwell gave a lecture on "Old West Ham," illustrating
his remarks by a number of lantern slides; the thanks of the Meeting were
accorded to the lecturer.
Mr. George Morris, B.Sc., gave a lecture on the "Regional Survey of
Saffron Walden," which he illustrated by a large number of lantern photo-
graphs and diagrams.
The lecturer introduced his subject with a definition of Regional
Survey as the ecological study of a human community. The community,
whether a village, town, or city, may be regarded as an organism of a
higher order than the individual, the units of which are united by bonds
not of the flesh but of the spirit. He then illustrated his thesis by a series
of lantern slides illustrating the survey of Saffron Walden. The physio-
graphy of the region was first dealt with, showing the position of the region,
which embraces the obsequent valleys of the Cam and Granta on the face
of the Cretaceous escarpment of the East Anglian heights; he thence
passed to the geology of the region and its influence upon the hydrography,
vegetation, and human settlement, concluding this series with a synthetic
diagram showing the interrelation of the natural factors in establishing
the sites of the human communities in the region.
Mr. Morris then passed to the prehistoric survey, and dealt quickly
with the methods employed in recording the neolithic, bronze, iron age,
Roman and Prehistoric Saxon remains of the district. A series of slides-
was then shown, showing the historic development of Saffron Walden,
including restorations of the town in British, Saxon, Norman and Eliza-
bethan times. The castle, abbey and market were briefly described and
the historic survey was summarized in synthetic diagrams showing the
present condition of the town and region.
The plans for exhibiting the survey in the Museum at Saffron Walden
were then exhibited, and the lecturer concluded by remarking that Regional
Survey was to some extent the concern of the County Associations, and
suggested the possibility of co-operation in organising a regional survey,
if not of the whole county, at least of certain typical areas.
A hearty vote of thanks was passed to the lecturer.
ORDINARY MEETING (513th MEETING) AND ANNUAL
MEETING (514th MEETING).
SATURDAY, 27TH MARCH, 1920.
These Meetings were held in the Physical Lecture Theatre of the
Municipal Technical Institute, Romford Road, Stratford, the President,.
Miss G. Lister, F.L.S., in the chair. 58 Members were present.