THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, 



387 



it plainly, " a duffer." Gentlemen by position shall in 

 their acts deny their own words, and on the very 

 strength of their good names calmly proceed with ii 

 course of chicanery and deceit that ends in little less 

 than downright robbery. Let our reporters, for tlio 

 future, be rather the cold cynics than the genial philan- 

 thropists, and incline to believe nothing they hoar, and 

 not half of what they sec. 



These are hard words, no doubt. But we mean them 

 to be so. For some time past our attention has centred 

 on this abuse, and from all sides we hear how systema- 

 tically the evil is spreading. Men, we repeat, of the 

 highest characters play habitually into each other's 

 hands. Prices are bolstered up, and " lucky 

 pennies" returned. Sales are settled merely to 

 get QUIT OP CULLS ; and really good animals 

 only put into the catalogue to make up a 

 show and a draw, and with no more intention of being 

 let go, than the gentleman who is under a bet to sell 

 sovereigns for a shilling each has, to part with the 

 genuine coin he allows you to look at— without it be to 

 a confederate. It is, of course, somewhat difficult to 

 find an opening at an evil of this description, so cau- 

 tiously is the whole thing generally conducted. But 

 the bubble has burst at last; while the public are al- 

 ready taking up the matter, and " forming" for their 

 own protection. In another column of our journal of 

 to-day will be found a letter from a gentleman — well 

 known to most breeders of shorthorn stock — who speaks 

 out at once, and to the purpose. In the name of the 

 agricultural public we have to thank Mr. Carr, of 

 Stackhouse, for his letter. Let us hearken to what he 

 says in it : " So common has it become for men occu- 

 pying the position of gentlemen thus to trade upon the 

 public faith in their integrity, that many of the older 

 and more experienced breeders habitually distrust all 

 statements made at these sales ; and I know several 

 besides myself, who have firmly resolved never to at- 

 tend another. The proprietor of a shorthorn herd 

 finds himself incumbered with a large proportion of 

 inferior or otherwise unprofitable cattle. With a view 

 to rid himself of these, he ofi'ers for sale without 

 RESERVE his ENTIRE HERD, Comprising, pei'haps, 

 animals of well-known merit or fashionable breeding, 

 whose excellences he previously contrives to have duly 

 lauded in proper quarters ! The terms of the adver- 

 tisement being clearly intended to lead the public to 

 Buppoae that there will bo a bona pidb sale of every 

 animal in the herd, and in fact amounting to an express 

 promise and engagement to that efiect, a host of bid- 

 dors is attracted together. Amongst these is the usual 

 proportion of foreigners, and young or inexperienced 

 breeders, whose competition has the desired effect of 

 clearing off the inferior lots at very satisfactory j)rices! 

 The really valuable animals, on the other hand, though 

 ostensibly sold, are in fact bought in, and reappear 

 some few weeks or months afterwards, as the property 

 of the original proprietor, who, we are given to un- 

 derstand, has repurchased them ! The deluded victims 



of this mendacious auc'ioit have tlirn the miserable 



satisfaction of knowiog that they have incunod the 



expense and inconvenience of a long journey to pur- 

 chase animals which the proprietor had really no in- 

 tention of selling; and I may add, that it seems to be 

 the general rule to grin and bear it !" 



Mr. Carr would seem to speak with the practical 

 emphasis of a sufferer ; while it is thus that the cor- 

 rective is slowly, but surely coming : "The remedy, 

 however, for this disgraceful state of things, is really 

 in their own hands. The term ' without reserve' is 

 understood by the law to exclude all interference by 

 the seller, or those employed on his behalf, with the 

 right of the public to have the animal at the highest bid- 

 ding. Any arrangement, therefore, between the seller 

 and a third party, the result of which is to prevent a 

 bond fide sale of the animal, will render the sale null 

 and void. Hence, where it can bo proved that the 

 animal has been bought in, the last bond fide bidder 

 can either recover by an action at law all the expenses 

 incident to his attendance at the sale, or, if he chooses, 

 enforce in a court of equity his claim to the animal. 

 Oi', where any person has been employed to run up the 

 price of the animal, or prevent it being sold under a 

 fixed sum, the purchaser is clearly not bound by a con- 

 tract which he has been led into by the seller's want of 

 faith, and no court of law or equity would enforce it." 

 It is not the law only that we must enforce. There 

 must be some more social and moral cognizance of the 

 crime — after all, perhaps the most effectual preventive. 

 But we must go even further than is here intimated. 

 Men who lend themselves to such schemes must no 

 longer be suffered to occupy the positions they have 

 done. No longer must they sit in judgment upon their 

 fellows. They have their price, however high it may 

 be, and sell themselves as surely as they do the victims 

 Mr. Carr joins with us in defending. It will never do 

 to pooh-pooh or treat so grave a question as a mere 

 evory-day bagatelle. At any rate it must be such no 

 longer ; but every offender must be branded so soon 

 as he is discovered. Moreover, men who thus lend 

 themselves and their names to systematically deceive 

 the public, can scarcely be becomingly entrusted with 

 the direction of the public's affairs. 



ORMSKIRK AND SOUTHPORT AGRICUL= 

 TURAL SHOW. 



This show was held on Wednesday, Aug. 15, at South- 

 port, in a field adjoining the railway, and was attended by 

 upwards of 7 ,000 visitors. In the shorthorn classes Mr. 

 Atherton, of Speke, won no less than eleven first prizes, 

 including the medal for the best cow or heifer; while 

 that for the best landlord's bull was adjudged to Sir Thos. 

 Hesketb, Bart. The horses were good, especially some 

 of the stallions ; and the poultry were in very great 

 force ; Captain Hornby and Messrs. Teebay and Wor- 

 rall sending especially fine pens. Mr. Dickinson, of 

 UphoUand, the late owner of Prince of Prussia, had 

 no stock in the yard, owing to some inadvertence in 

 making the entries. The dinner in the evening was 

 numerously attended, and Sir Thos. Hesketb, president 



of the society /.was.in the chhir, 



