The Country Gcnihmmts Magazine 



II 



THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION. 



" T3 LIGHT in crops and losses in stock," 

 i3 " disease in cattle, and low price of 

 agricultural produce," and many causes of a 

 similar character, tend to reduce the circum- 

 stances of tenant-farmers considerably. In 

 looking over the report of the Royal Agricul- 

 tural Benevolent Institution, we come upon 

 the names of many farmers who have suf- 

 fered so seriously from the causes above 

 quoted, that, coupled with their declining 

 years, they have been compelled to throw 

 themselves on the charity of their brother 

 agriculturists. All professions are more or 

 less liable to misfortune and failure ; but that 

 of a farmer stands alone in its precarious- 

 ness, from causes, too, which unlike many of 

 those which lead to failure in commercial 

 life, cannot be controlled. And British farmers 

 are certainly more liable to fixilure and mis- 

 fortune than those of other countries by rea- 

 son of climatic and atmospherical varia- 

 tions, which agriculturists in France, Spain, 

 or Germany know nothing of. Hence 

 we find attached to the names of many re- 

 cipients of the bounty of the Royal Agricul- 

 tural Benevolent Institution, such phrases as 

 *' bad and unfavourable seasons," *' heavy 

 losses through floods," " succession of bad 

 seasons," " adverse circumstances," &c. 



There are many acts for which Mr Mechi 

 will long be remembered, but there are few 

 which will bring kindlier association of bene- 

 volence and humanity to the mind than the 

 fact that he was the originator of this Institu- 

 tion. With that foresight and goodness of 

 heart, which in spite of the attacks and 

 spleen of his detractors, have invariably dis- 

 tinguished him, he conceived the idea that 

 the agricultural portion of the population did 

 not possess one of these charitable institu- 

 tions of which we find so many other branches 

 of trade possessed. The conception of such a 

 fact, it will be said, did not require any great 

 strain of mind ; it was patent and plain to 

 all, standing out with a prominence which 



was rather detrimental to the reputation of 

 agriculture. The manner in which he put 

 his idea into practical form, however, claims 

 for him not a little credit. 

 \ The Society at present may be truly stated 

 to be in its infancy, having only been in 

 existence for twelve years ; yet, notwithstand- 

 ing its short term of vitality, it has ramified 

 throughout the length and breadth of England 

 with astonishing rapidity — a rapidity which 

 involuntarily begets the notion that such a 

 scheme only wanted a beginning to enable it 

 to take root in the country. Farmers, as a 

 rule, when appealed to for any charitable 

 purpose, are, in spite of their reputation as 

 " grumblers " and " screws," amenable, as 

 well as other mortals, to benevolent sympa- 

 thies. Witness the great success of Lord 

 Vernon's effort to secure the crops of the 

 French peasant farmers during the late dis- 

 astrous war on the Continent. And what, if 

 they are willing to lend a helping hand to the 

 foreigners in distress, should be their action 

 in the case of distressed members of their 

 profession, belonging to their own nation- 

 ahty ? Just exactly what it has been. The 

 growth of that "precocious child of Mr 

 Mechi's," as Lord Vernon has happily termed 

 it, has shewn a rapidity which is only equalled 

 by its healthful appearance ; it has increased 

 its original capital an hundred-fold, and at 

 the present time, unchild-like, is able to sup- 

 port not only itself, but two or three hundred 

 farmers, their widows, and children. There is 

 a standing fund of ;^2o,ooo, and the dona- 

 tions and subscriptions which were received 

 from December 1870 to the like month of 

 187 1, reached the handsome total of 

 _;^io,267, OS. 3d. Such facts as these con- 

 clusively shew whether or not our farmers 

 are impervious to kindness or charity. 



The twelfth annual festival of the Institu- 

 tion, which was held at Willis's Rooms, on 

 Wednesday, June 5, under the presidency of 

 Lord Vernon, was, as Mr Mechi observed, 



