26 PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS. 



never came to an end more agreeably. As to the general question regarding the circuit 

 of the Shows, he was quite sure from the feelings exliibited that the meeting was not 

 generally in favour of reducing these Shows. He thought the cases both of Inverness 

 and Kelso had been so well advocated as to leave no doubt that there was a strong feel- 

 ing in favour of these two districts being kept in the general circuit. Very possibly 

 other places might with additional advantage be included in the circuit, and if a requi- 

 sition were sent to the Directors from any of these places he had no doubt they would 

 be glad to take them into consideration, and if possible extend the circuit so as to in- 

 clude them. As to the question of holding their Shows more frequently in the large 

 commercial centres of Edinburgh and Glasgow, it seemed to him that once in eight 

 years was very nearly enough in such places. The Shows had no doubt been successful 

 in Edinburgh and Glasgow, but if they were held too frequently in these places, they 

 might come not to attract so much attention. He did not wish to say anything as to 

 Kelso, as it was the district to which he particularly belonged ; but as next year was 

 the last in which he would occupy the honourable position he had been placed in by the 

 Society, he would like the last Show of his year of office to be in the place in which he 

 took an interest, and where he could hope to be of some service. 



Mr Ord of Over Whitton asked who was to appoint the committee. Was it the 

 Directors, Mr Gillespie, or Mr Martin ? 



Mr Gillespie said he did not have a list of committee ready. 



The noble Chairman said that he thought from what the Dnke of Buccleuch had 

 read of the constitution, it might be referred to the Directors to appoint a committee 

 not only of those inside, but of those outside the Board. He had no doubt that they 

 would appoint, as they had hitherto done, those representing different views, and come 

 to a safe conclusion on the matter. 



General Meeting op the Society at the Shows. — The Earl of Dunmoee then 

 submitted the following motion, of which he had given notice : — " That this meeting 

 approves of a general meeting of members being heldj annually at the place and time 

 of holding the summer Show, and remits to the Directors to make the necessary arrange- 

 ments for having such a meeting at Perth in last week of July 1879." The noble Lord 

 said he was induced to bring forward this motion, really believing it to be in the best 

 interests of the Society. With the occurrence of the annual Show, there was an oppor- 

 tunity of gathering together practical farmers and agricultural engineers such as was 

 really not to be met with on any other occasion. From these they could on these occa- 

 sions obtain suggestions that would be most valuable to the Society. They were un- 

 able to attend the statutory meetings in January and June for the purpose, and besides 

 there were matters occurring to the minds of exhibitors of stock and implements that 

 could be brought up on the spot, and thoroughly discussed and ventilated, which, even 

 if they could attend the General Meetings, would in the course of six months have 

 entirely escaped their memories. The Royal Agricultural Society of England had 

 always a meeting on the second or third day of its Show in the yard, and it was always 

 the best attended meeting they had in the year. 



Mr M'Kean, Lumloch, seconded the motion. 



Mr Maxwell of Munches — Are members to be proposed at that meeting as at the 

 orderly half-yearly meetings, or what is exactly the aim of his Lordship ? 



Sir Graham Montgomery, M.P., said that as a very old exhibitor at the Shows of 

 the Society he was quite at a loss to understand what object could be gained by this 

 proposed meeting in the Showyard. Where would the meeting be held ? Was it to be 

 an open air meeting, or what kind of meeting was it to be ? They had no accommoda- 

 tion for such meetings in the Showyard. He would be the last to oppose anything that 

 would be for the good of the Society, but he could not for the life of him see what the 

 advantage of this proposal would be. The members of the Society did not all go on 

 the same day to the Show, and he did not believe therefore they would have an 

 eli'ective meeting. At all events it would not be a meeting at which any satisfactory 

 business woidd be gone through. It might give an opportunity for gentlemen ventilat- 

 ing their grievances about anything that happened at the Show, but that was not a 

 time at which such grievances should be considered. If there were any grievances on 

 the part of exhibitors or members of the Society, these should be considered at meet- 

 ings held at a distance from the time when they occurred. He was inclined, if com- 

 petent to move the previous question, as this matter was brought up in 1874, when it 

 was considered by the Directors, and they were decidedly of opiuion that no advantage 

 would be gained by the proposed change. 



Mr Greig supported the motion of Lord Dunmore, which he was sure would be 

 approved of by the great body of the members of the Society. The interest of the 

 Society, as he told them in his last speech, had gone down — gone down to such an 

 extent that it was a most difficult thing to get a member to come up from the Grass- 

 market to this meeting unless there was something affecting his own immediate district. 

 He supposed tliat the business which was generally disposed of at the general meetings 

 would be disposed of at the time and place of the Show. The general meetings were 



