remarkable. Two or three years ago this same gentleman, Mr W. Nicholson, purchased a large piece of ground at Harrow and presented it to his old school. He was formerly M.P. for Petersfield, High Sheriff for Hants, and president of the M.C.C.
By the year 1878 the whole of the loan advanced by Mr W. Nicholson for the purchase of the ground had been paid. When Mr Nicholson purchased the freehold in 1866 the club had a muster-roll of 980 members and an income of £6000 odd. Today I find from the M.C.C. report the club has a membership of 4197. The hundredth anniversary of the M.C.C. was celebrated by a dinner held in the tennis-court on the 15th of June 1887, The invited guests, numbering about two hundred, included past presidents, those who had played in the Gentlemen v. Players matches at Lord's twice, and other distinguished supporters of the game. The same week two first-class matches were played at Lord's—M.C.C. and Ground v. England, and Gentlemen of the M.C.C. v. Eighteen Veterans over Forty. For the latter appeared such well-known exponents of the past as Colonel N. W. Wallace, Colonel Fellowes, Major A. S. Griffiths, Major A. W. Anstruther, Messrs L D. and V. E. Walker, Rev. G. Lane, Messrs C E. Green, Montagu Turner, Rev. S. C Voules, Messrs J. Round, M.P., E, Hume, Arthur Appleby, J. F. Leese, C Booth, E. B. Rowley, P. Hilton, and E. Rutter, and no other such memorable week has been held in the history of cricket. In September 1889 the Hon. Sir Spencer Ponsonby Fane, K.C.B., laid the first stone of the present handsome pavilion, which cost the club, according to the M.C.C statement of accounts for 1890, over £5,000.
Since the fire, to which I have referred, which demolished the old records in 1825, the list of presidents has been as follows:—
1826. Charles Barnett, Esq.
1827. Henry Kingscote, Esq.
1828. A. F. Greville, Esq.
1829. John Barnard, Esq.
1830. Hon. G. Ponsonby.
1831. William Deedes, Esq.
1832. Henry Howard, Esq.
1833. Herbert Jenner, Esq.
1834. Hon. H. Ashley.
1835. Lord Charles Russell.
1836. Lord Suffield.
1837. Viscount Grimston.
1838. Marquis of Exeter.
1839. Earl of Chesterfield.
1840. Earl of Verulam.
1841. Earl Craven.
1842. Earl of March
1843. Earl of Ducie.
1844. Sir J. Bayley, Bart.
1845. Thos. Chamberlayne, Esq.
1846. Earl Winterton.
1847. Earl of Strathmore.
1848. Earl of Leicester.
1849. Earl Darnley.
1850. Earl Guernsey.
1851. Earl of Stanford and Warrington.
1852. Viscount Dupplin.
