Journal of Proceedings.
ix
been so happily and triumphantly demolished in Parliament. A reference
to the division list would show that scarcely any members voted in
favour of the Bill except those who were personally interested either in
the Corporation or in the Railway Companies, while all those who had
promised to attend and vote against the Bill did so. The London papers
had shown that they were almost unanimously opposed to the scheme.
He also read the following vote of thanks from the Hackney Micro-
scopical and Natural History Society, which had been unanimously
passed at the Annual Soiree of that Society, at which 500 members and
friends were present :—
" At a meeting held at Morley Hall, Hackney, on Wednesday evening,
March 14th, it was unanimously resolved that the thanks of this Society
be conveyed to the Essex Field Club, and to its indefatigable Hon.
Secretary, for the initiative action taken by the Club for the protection
of Epping Forest from encroachment by the High Beach Railway
Extension now brought to such a satisfactory issue.
M. C. Cooke, President."
Mr. John Spiller, F.C.S., remarked that many of the daily papers,
especially the ' Daily News,' had given the credit of the opposition to
the railway scheme to the Commons Preservation Society, and in face
of that fact he felt bound to move :—" That the members of this Club
recognise the energetic efforts made by the President, Past President,
and Hon. Secretary in so staunchly opposing the proposed High Beach
Railway." It was, he thought, mainly through the efforts of the gentle-
men he had named, and those who were associated with them, that the
Bill had been thrown out, and he had therefore much pleasure in pro-
posing a hearty vote of thanks to them. He also thought they should
thank Mr. Bryce, who, although Chairman of the Commons Preservation
Society, had apparently acted largely in his private capacity, and who
had done such excellent service in opposing the Bill in the House of
Commons.
The motion was seconded by Mr. F. C. Gould and carried unanimously.
The President, in acknowledging the compliment on behalf of his
colleagues, and of the other gentlemen who had done so much good work
in the cause, said that the great drawback to the action of the Commons
Preservation Society was that it had been so long delayed. That Society
only took action in the matter after the issue of the Club's statement,
and after the deputation to Sir H. Selwin-Ibbetson and Lord Eustace
Cecil had placed the matter in a clear and definite form before the public
and the members of the House of Commons.
Mr. F. C. J. Spurrell, F.G.S., read a paper entitled "On Evidences of
Glacial Action on the Thames and in South Essex," the piper being
illustrated by specimens and by a large number of original coloured
wall-diagrams.
At the conclusion of the paper the President proposed a hearty vote of
thanks to Mr. Spurrell for his valuable contribution ; and Mr. H. Walker,