124 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



tioQ, and it was aulBcieot to say that the preseut was the 

 thirty- second lettiuj;. Looking at the great number of supe- 

 rior youug sheep in'the hurdles, he might safely observe that 

 the sho* ou the preseut occasion was better than it had bteu 

 at previous gatherings, and more than supported Mr. Webb's 

 reputation. The pricej set on the sheep were low, and Mr. 

 V/ebb would be disappointed if they did not realize higher 

 rates. He (Mr. Jonas) trusted that the company would be 

 prompt and liberal in their biJs, so that they might arrive as 

 soou as possible at that appropriate termination of the pro- 

 ceedmgs — dinner. 



The second sheep brought into the ring excited some com- 

 petiliou. The ram (No. 40) took the first prize at Salisbury 

 last year, and the biddings rose rapidly from 60 to 70 guineas. 

 They afterwards advanced to 75 guineas, and at this rate the 

 purchaser was declared to be Mr. Heasmaa, of Sussex. This 

 sum v.as not subsequently exceeded by any other lot, and 

 Mr. lleasman was, therefore, the purchaser of the highest 

 priced ram. Last year this position was occupied by Mr. 

 Lindsay, of New York, who through Mr. Sabine, of Newmar- 

 ket, hired a ram at the enormous price of 197 guineas ! 



For the third sheep called in (No. 21] ) there was also some 

 brisk bidding, the price oflfered advancing rapidly from 30 to 

 58 guineas. At this rate the ram was all but sold, in fact he 

 was taken partially out of the ring when he was recalled, and 

 let for four guineas more. It was reported that Mr. Overman 

 was the hirer. No. 175 was knocked down at an advance of 

 11 guineas to Mr. Marjoribanks ; No. 41, at an advance of 6 

 guineas, to Mr. Rigden; No. 95, at a similar advance, to 

 Lord Radnor ; and in a few other cases small premiums were 

 obtained. Generally, however, the biddings were slow, and 

 a large proportion of the sheep brought into the ring left it at 

 the same rates at which they were called in. Among the other 

 hirers, whose names were mentioned, were Lord Sondes, Mr. 

 Adeane, M.T., Mr. Twitcher, Mr. Dobito, Mr. Bosanquet, 

 Mr. Dobson, Mr. Moody, Capt. Bowyer, Mr. R. Palmer, Mr. 

 Rutleigh (Kent), Mr. Turner, Mr. Jonas, &c. The following 

 table shows the order in which the sheep were called in, and 

 the prices realized. 



This gives a total of 61 rams let, and an average, according 

 to Cocker, of £20 193. 3d. each. The comparative results of 

 the public lettiugs for the last seven years will therefore stand 

 thus (but at the same time it should be observed that the 

 public transactions do not afford a complete view of the busi- 

 ness done, a good deal being effected by private contract after- 

 wards) : — 



It may be interesting to observe that it was stated that No. 

 4, let at 30 guineas, was hired at 102 guineas as a yearling ; 

 that No. 5, hired at 40 guineas, has been let for 400 guineas 

 within the last three years ; and that the sire of No. 105, let 

 for 20 guineas, was the celebrated ram hired last year at 197 

 guineas. 



Shortly after 4 o'clock, the ring having gradually thinned, 

 the auctioneer thanked the company for the biddings which they 

 had made, and auiiouuced that the next lot was — 



THE DINNER. 



This took place, as usual, in one of the farm sheds, which 

 was decorated for the occasion with flags and evergreens. Three 

 long lines of well-supplied tables were occupied by between 

 150 and 200 guests, the chair being filled by the Hou, 

 Eliot York, M.P., while at the end of a remote vista the 

 goodly person of Mr. Webb might be discerned in the vice- 

 chair. The seats at the head table were occupied by Mr. H. J. 

 Adeane, M.P., the Yen. Archdeacon Yorke, Mr. T. St. Quintin, 

 Mr. S. Batsou, Mr. C.Pemberton( High-sheriff of Cambridge- 

 shire), Mr. Parker Hammond, Mr. Sydney Tharpe, Mr. Hicks, 

 Mr. Parker Hammond, jun., &c. There were also present at 

 the dinner, or on the ground during the day. Col. Wale ; Capt. 

 Davis, R. N , chief constable of Cambridgeshire and Hunting- 

 donshire ; Mr. Clutterbuck, Hertfordshire ; Mr. Rigden, Sus- 

 sex; Mr. Heasman, Sussex; Mr. J. Clayden, Bishop's Stort- 

 ford; the Rev. Mr. Beuyon, Livermere Hall, Suffolk; Mr. H. 

 Woods, steward to Lord Walaingham ; Mr. Purvis, Brampton, 

 Huntingdonshire; Mr. S.Jonas; Mr. H. Overman, jun., Nor- 

 folk; Mr. Lugar, Hengrave, Suffolk; Mr. Jackson, Wendy, 

 Cambri igeshire; Mr. Robinson, Cambridge; Mr. Dobito, 

 Kirtling, Suffolk ; Mr. Coptland, Londou ; Mr. Pym, Chester- 

 ford ; Mr. Ratcliffe, Newmarket ; Mr. J. Archer Houblon, 

 llallingbury, Essex ; Mr. Read, London ; Mr. H. Thiirnall, 

 Roystou, Cambridgeshire ; Mr. Rigden, jun., Sussex; Mr. W. 

 Pate and Mr. R. Pate, lladdenham, Cambridgeshire; Mr. C. 

 Barnard, Harlow, Essex ; Mr. J. C. Cornwall, Bishop's Stort- 

 ford; Mr. E. Frost and Mr. II. Frost, West Wratting, Cam- 

 bridgeshire; Mr. T. Nash, Carlton, Cambridgeshire; Mr. J. 

 Urimwade, Hadleigh ; Mr. H. Grimwade; Mr. J. S. Phillips, 

 Barton, Suffolk; Mr. H. Clayden, Hadleigh; Mr. Tuxford, 

 Loudon; &c., &c. 



The Chairman gave the usual loyal and complimentary 

 toasts with his customary grace and fluency, and, in intro- 

 ducing each 8u' ject, spoke at considerable — possibly too great — 

 length. Referring to Prince Albert, he observed that his 

 Royal Highness was a successful brother-agriculturist, and had 

 gained much credit as an exhibitor of stock. Having once or 

 twice been a spectator at the exhibitions at Christmas, the 

 idea — he hoped it was not a disloyal one — had crossed hia 

 mind, that Prince Albert had had a good deal of luck (laughter). 

 At the same time they did not grudge his Royal Higbuess any 



