PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS. 25 



■soil reports on decided improvements on the metiiod of using steam-power, or for any 

 suggestions wliereby tlie expense of steam-power can he reduced. Tlie committee also 

 recommended tliat if tliese reports be considered of sutlicient merit tlie writers should 

 he rewarded." 



The suggestions by the committee were approved of by the Board, and the proceedings 

 now reported were published in the newspaper re^jort of the meeting of 7th April. 



The report was adopted. 



On the motion of the Hon. G. Waldegrave Leslie, a vote of thanks was given to 

 the Chairman, and the proceedings terminated. 



GENERAL MEETING, 19th January 1876. 



The Earl of Glasgow, Vice-President, in the Chair. 



Tlie Earl of Glasgow said that, in the absence of his Royal Highness the Prince of 

 "Wales, it fell to him, as one of the vice-presidents, to take the chair. He would not 

 trouble the meeting with any introductory remarks from the chair, as they had a long 

 and important programme of business before them, and he would at once proceed 

 with it. 



Election of Members. — 124 new Members were then balloted for and elected. 



Office-Bearers. — The Secretary read the following list of new Othce-Bearers in 

 place of those retiring by rotation : — Vice-Fresiden.ts. — The Earl of Strathmore ; the 

 Earl of Kintore ; the Earl of Aberdeen ; the Earl of Fife, K.T. Ordinary Directors. 

 —Sir John Marjoribauks of Lees, Bart.; James Cochrane, Little Haddo, Aberdeen; 

 Robert Copland, Mill of Ardletheu, Ellon ; Thomas Ferguson, Kinuochtry, Coupar- 

 Angus ; Andrew Gillou of Wallhouse ; Alexander Forbes Irvine of Drum ; James 

 Townsend Oswald of Dunnikier ; Adam Smith, Stevenson Mains, Haddington. Extra- 

 ■ordinary IHrectors. — The Lord Provost of Alierdeen, Sir James Horn Burnett of Leys, 

 Bart. ; Sir John Ogilvy of Inverqnharity, Bart. ; Sir William Forbes of Craigievar, Bart. ; 

 Sir James Dalrymple Horn Elphinstone of Horn and Logic Elphinstone, Bart., M.P. ; 

 Sir Thomas Gladstone of Fasque, Bart.; Rofiert William Duff of Fetteresso, M.P. ; 

 Lieutenant-Colonel George Ferguson of Pitfour ; John Gordon of Cluny ;j Lieut. - 

 -Colonel William M'Inroy of The Burn. 



Mr Hunter of Blackness said that, if it was in order, he would beg to move that in 

 future the Directors of the Society be named iu open meeting, not by nomination of 

 ■existing Directors. That was the usual method adopted in all large societies. He 

 thought the system of self-election by the Directors derogatory to the agriculture of 

 Scotland. If the motion was not competent, he would give notice of it. 



A Member stated that he understood there was a promise last year that the name of 

 Mr M'Combie, M.P., would be added to the list of Directors. If such a promise had 

 been made, it ought surely to be kept. 



Another Member asked if Mr M'Combie had not refused to take a seat at the Board ? 

 If so, he would like to hear the letter read. 



Captain Tod of Howden said that Mr_ M'Combie was'asked to be a Director, but 

 refused. His letter was as follows :— 



"Tillyfour, December 6, 1875.— Dear Sir,— I duly received your letter of the 2d 

 in.st., in which you say, 'I am instructed by the Directors to request you to allow 

 them to nominate you as an extraordinary Director of the Society at the General Meet- 

 ing in January.' My acceptance of that oflice would not serve the objects the mendjers 

 had in view who pressed my nomination before the Board as an ordinary Director. I 

 must therefore respectfully decline to be nominated an e.vtraordinary Director. — Yours 

 faithfully, ' "William M'Combie. ^ 



" P. N. Menzies, Esq., Secy. Highland Society." 



Mr Wilson, Edington Mains, did not think tliat the understanding inidoubtedly 

 left on the last Annual Meeting, when Mr M'Coml tie's name was mentioned, that lie 

 would be brought forward on another occasion, had been implemented. What had 

 been offered to him was the position of an extraordinary Director, and wliat the pre- 

 vious meeting asked was that Mr M'Combie's name should be put on the list of ordi- 

 Dary Directors. The implication in his letter of refusal appeared to be that if he had 

 been asked to take the office of ordinary Director, he would have accepted it. He 

 thought the Directors had made a great mistake. 



Mr Campbell Swinton said he thought his friend Mr Wilson had overlooked the 

 fact that an extraordinary Director had precisely the same rights and privileges as 

 ■ordinary Directors. He could attend all the meetings and vote at them all ; and the 

 wish of the Directors was to put Mr M'Combie in the most honourable of the two 

 positions. 



