cxxxvi Journal of Proceedings.
February 28th, 1885. Ordinary Meeting.
The fifty-sixth Ordinary Meeting was held in the Loughton Public
Hall at 6.30, the President, Mr. T. V. Holmes, in the chair.
Dr. Gr. F. Pulcher was elected a member.
Donations to the Library were announced, and thanks voted to the
donors.
The Secretary announced that the Society of Antiquaries had granted
a sum of £5 in aid of the Deneholes Exploration Fund.
The President in nominating Lord Rayleigh, F.R.S., Mr. E. N. Buxton,
J.P., Mr. E. A. Fitch, F.L.S., and Dr. Henry Laver, F.L.S., as Vice-
Presidents for the ensuing year, said that he wished to acknowledge the
honour the members had conferred upon him in electing him as President.
Whatever his shortcomings might be in other respects as compared with
his accomplished predecessors, he thought he should not be found want-
ing in zeal for the good and advancement of the Club.
Letters of thanks for election as hon. members were read from Mr.
E. T. Newton, F.G.S., and Mr. G. J. Symons, F.R.S.
Mr. Robert Martin exhibited, and presented to the Club, a Roman
Amphora, an Urn, and some pieces of pottery found at low-water line at
the point where it is believed the Roman Ferry from Kent into Essex,
ria Higham Causeway, crossed the Thames.* Also a Samian-ware pate-
riura found at Chadwell St. Mary, Essex. The history of his possession
of these relics was as follows:—There happened to be a sale at East
Tilbury Rectory at which he (Mr. Martin) was present, and he purchased
the articles. When coming home in the train he told the auctioneer
that he intended to present the relics to the Essex Field Club, and the
auctioneer communicated that intention to the former owner, Mr. Wil-
liams, of Grays, who at once wrote to say that under the circumstances
he would not take any money for the pottery. The real donor was
consequently Mr. Williams. A vote of thanks was accorded to Messrs.
Williams and Martin for their kindness.
The Secretary read a letter from Mr. Compton Warner, recording the
occurrence of Otters and Tufted Sea Ducks (Fuligula cristata) in the
river Lea, near Hoddesdon, and at Royden ; also a Little Bittern near
Broxbourne.
Mr. W. Cole called attention to a somewhat serious question arising
out of the compulsory sale of four acres of forest land at Woodford.
Most of the members present would be aware that the Woodford Local
Board had scheduled four acres of Epping Forest land for the purpose
of making a sewage farm. Of course the Local Board were within their
legal rights, and there was nothing to prevent them taking that land, but
there was a meeting at Woodford the other night to consider the ques-
tion of the payment of compensation to the Commoners, for the extinction
* These specimens were probably amongst those alluded to in Palin's ' Stifford
and its Neighbourhood,' page 107, under West Tilbury.—Ed.