PEOCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS. 25 



dennan, to appoint a committee to consider the whole question of the circuit of the 

 Society's Annual Show. 



Your memorialists would therefore respectfully submit to the Society, that to cease 

 meeting in Inverness periodically, would be subversive of the object for which the 

 Society was originally instituted, an injustice to the whole north of Scotland, and to 

 the many who have become members of the Society on the faith of these Shows being 

 held in Inverness ; and they now submit the following reasons against the proposal in- 

 tended to be made, viz. : — 



I. That when the Society was instituted in 1784, and established by Royal Charter 

 in 1787, its object was the improvement of the Highlands only; that not until half a 

 century thereafter (1834) was the title of the Society altered and its benefits bestowed, 

 by Royal Charter, on the whole of Scotland. 



II. That much of the money subscribed to the Society, and that now forms the in- 

 vested capital of the Society, from which much of its revenue is derived, was subscribed 

 with a view to the improvement of the Highlands only. 



III. That to make Perth, Aberdeen, and Stirling the limit of the Shows of the 

 Society, geographically leaves the half of Scotland unrepresented. 



IV. That a very large number of members of the Society now belong to the High- 

 lands of Scotland, or are interested in its prosperity, and that a change such as is pro- 

 l>osed would be unjust to them, and would be an effectual barrier to the obtaining of 

 many additional members in the north of Scotland, while at present the Society ranks 

 aniong.st its members almost all the proprietors and leading agriculturists in the northern 

 counties, and many others not engaged in agricultural pursuits. 



V. That the object of the Society being the general improvement of the country, all 

 that is necessary is that over a series of years the money received is sufficient to meet 

 the demands of the Society. If, therefore, some stations are not remunerative, this is 

 not a sufficient reason for discarding that station, so long as all stations together are 

 sufficient to meet the demands of the Society. 



Your memorialists would further suggest that now, with a perfect railway system iii 

 the North, and less expenses in connection with the Show, an exhibition in Inverness 

 niiarht be made to be, if not remunerative, at least sufficient to pay its expenses. 



Your memorialists therefore trust that the Directors will decide that Inverness will 

 continue to be one of the stations to be periodically visited by your Society. 



And your Memorialists will ever pray. 



Signed in name and on behalf of the Inverness Farmers' Society, 



Ddncan Forbes, Chairman. 



Mr Martin, in replying, said that Lord Polwarth had said that he (Mr Martin) had 

 spoken rather hard of Kelso, and spoke of it a little slightingly. He had endeavoured 

 studiously to avoid expressing any opinion as to the adoption of Kelso. The quotation 

 he made was from an Inverness gentleman. With the municipal exception to which he 

 had referred, he thought the tone of the discussion at Inverness had been creditable to 

 those taking part in it. He did not think the gentlemen on the Board would accuse 

 him of wishing to hoard the Society's money. He did not mean that they should keep 

 to money-making places, and it was not with that view that he submitted his motion. 

 He was extremely sorry not to be able to give way to the Duke of Buccleuch, to whom 

 the Society owed so miich. There was perhaps a little in the feeling that they were 

 somewhat of a "close borough" in the Board-room, but as showing that he had no 

 wish to press his motion against any particular place, he proposed to take away the 

 latter part of his motion, and simply propose that they go into an inquiry. 



Lord Polwarth thought that after what had passed they might come to a decision 

 without going to a vote at all. His remarks were made on the understanding that the 

 object of the motion was that a certain number of places should be indicated. He 

 thought that if the motion were put somewhat in this form, that the meeting should 

 remit the question as to whether the number of places at which the Shows are held can 

 with advantage be increased to the Directors of the Society, it might meet the wishes 

 of all parties. 



Provost Simpson, Inverness, explained, with reference to the statement that he 

 made at Inverness, that his remarks were abbreviated in the report, that he merely 

 spoke as to the object of the Society being originally to promote the prosperity of the 

 Highlands, and did not intend anything personal. 



"The various suggestions and motions which had been made were then put before the 

 meeting, and they were all withdrawn in favour of Mr Gillespie's, which was carried — 

 viz., that the Show be held in Kelso in 1880, that a committee, composed of Directors 

 and other members, be appointed to consider the question of the circuit of the annual 

 Shows in future, and that a report be presented to the meeting of the Society in 

 January 1880. 



The noble Chairman then observed that they had arrived at the happy conclusion 

 that they all thought exactly the same thing ; and he was sure that a long conversation 



