22 PKOCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS. 



in the first instance, the deleting of certain towns from the number of those included 

 in the list, and on the other hand that the committee should have the power of adding 

 certain towns, which would be changing the system altogether. In his O'wu 

 opinion, and he believed in the opinion of many others, it would be exceedingly 

 detrimental to the interests of this great national Society were any place to 

 be deleted. Let them consider the course the Society had adopted in the 

 past. They had gone with their exhibition to every district in Scotland, and 

 afforded facilities to the tenants within those districts to see the best class of stock, 

 and the newest improvements in agricultural implements, without being put to any 

 great expense. He thought it was the duty of the Society not to diminish these efforts, 

 but to go through the whole country. Mr Martin had said that one great object he 

 had in view was to facilitate the sending of exhibitors' stock to the different places. It 

 would be extremely injurious to the interests of this country if anything were to take 

 place to prevent the poorest and lowliest sending his stock to the Show of the Society. 

 Take the Show at Dumfries, for example. He supposed that if the Show had not been 

 held there they would have had nothing like the same show of Galloways as they had 

 on that occasion ; and he believed that the Society in rotating through the country was 

 affording the promoters of different kinds of stock an opportunity for exhibition 

 ■which they could in no other way have. Therefore he thought, on the general 

 ground of the Society being a national one, that it was bound to meet the wants of the 

 whole country, and that it should caiTy on the present system. The Society was under 

 a certain moral obligation to continue the system which had been carried out in the 

 past, because they had people in the different districts who had assisted in maintain- 

 ing the Society. If they altered their arrangements they would lose many who were 

 now members of the Society, and, besides, they would lose the increase in the member- 

 ship, which he considered was the backbone of the Society. He believed that this 

 meeting -would take a broad general view of the question. The whole matter was 

 gone into in 1859. It was then considered by the Directors of the Society and disposed 

 of. He did not know that anything had occurred to alter the state of matters since 

 then. With reference to Kelso in particular, one objection had been the amount of 

 accommodation. He might state that they had received an official letter from the 

 railway company stating their anxiety to meet the wants of the public, and to do 

 their utmost to assist exhibitors from different parts of the country. He understood 

 that a great many people were hungry at Kelso on the last occasion, but he thought 

 that the lesson taught to the Kelso people on that occasion would not be lost upon 

 them now. Besides, there 'were many places near Kelso where people would find 

 accommodation. The railway company had agreed to run convenient trains to siirh 

 places as Melrose and Coldstream. He was sure that if the Society resolved on going 

 to Kelso they would meet with a very cordial welcome. 



Lord LoVAT said that if words a little more strong than the occasion necessitated had 

 been used at Inverness, it was from ignorance of how the matter exactly stood more 

 than from ill feeling towards any one who had anything to do with it. He thought 

 it would be a great disadvantage if Inverness were to be cut out from the Show. 

 The Society was originated for the benefit of the Highlands, but its benefits afterwards 

 extended over all parts of the country ; and to deprive the Highlands now, when they 

 had got rich and powerful, of the advantages that had been given to them by the 

 Society would be a very great mistake. He knew that the last Inverness Show did not 

 pay. The weather might have had something to do with that, but they met besides in 

 the poorest district, and they could not expect to reap a rich harvest when they went 

 there with their Show. The object of the Society, however, was not to make and 

 hoard money. It was to benefit agriculture in all departments and in all districts. 

 After the last two Shows at Inverness it was surprising to see the number of new 

 implements spread over the country, and the great interest which both large and 

 small farmers took in the improvement of stock. There was no district in which 

 improvement was more marked after the holding of their Shows than in the High- 

 lands. They had heard complaints that the railway and hotel accommodation were 

 not so good at Inverness as elsewhere, but he was quite sure that the railway 

 company would do all in their power to give every facility. In these respects they 

 were better now than when the Show was last held in Inverness, and they were im- 

 proving every day. He thought the motion of Mr Martin, though it was not carried, 

 would do much good, as there would be a stimulus in regard to the districts in which 

 the Shows were to be held for the future that would make them all endeavour to in- 

 crease their subscriptions and the number of their members, and do much in the way 

 of removing, at least, the complaint that the Shows when they went to any district did 

 not pay. But, as he had already said, he did not think that that was the question they 

 ought to look to. It was rather the immense benefit done by the Society to all districts. 



Mr Bethcne of Belebo, said he thought Lord Lovat had made out an excellent case 

 for Inverness, but the motion of Lord Polwarth seemed to imply that no alteration 

 should take place on their present arrangements ; that what had been done is now and 



