TIIK FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



149 



merit involves constant comparison of merit. The comparison 

 of merit necessarily grates upon the feelings ; and yet, not- 

 withstanding', here is a body which deals with every kind of 

 product of a(?riculture, and every kind of instrument applicable 

 to agriculture, which yet continues to retain universal confi- 

 dence — the confidence alike of the victors and the vanquished 

 in their honourable strife (cheers). And why is this ? It is 

 because its proceedings, like all other agricultural proceedings 

 pretty nearly, are completely in the face of day. There is no 

 secret about its details. The spirit of secrecy it abhors. 

 Everything that is done is done subject to the free judgment 

 of Englishmen. The judges themselves, who pronounce upon 

 your performances, are judged, iu your free, unlicensed, and 

 unrestrained liberty of communication (applause). And the 

 spirit that I believe has, more than anything else, tended to 

 preserve for us the vital power of our public institutions — I 

 mean that of a thorough, and unshrinking, and unswerving 

 publicity — is the spirit which we regard as the guarantee of 

 fairness, and is the spirit to which every proceeding of this 

 society appears to be made to conform (Hear). I cannot help 

 reminding this company, with reference to what has fallen from 

 the distinguished Ambassador of France, that he perhaps has 

 done us more than justice when he speaks of the benefits that 

 the industry of his own country has received from the industry 

 of ours. It is but fair that those acquainted with the history 

 of the commercial, and particularly of the manufacturing pro- 

 gress of this country, should here publicly acknowledge in 

 return for the compliment he has paid you, that it is to French- 

 men, and to the sedulous imiration of what Frenchmen have 

 done, by their taste and skill, that we owe no small part of the 

 rapid progress of the day to the manufacturing prosperity of 

 England (applause^. And to you, gentlemen, who know no- 

 thing, thank God, of rival interests as between class and class, 

 to you I am sure it will be matter of deep satisfaction if you 

 hear from authority so distinguished and iilusdi us the as- 

 surance that some part of the benefits at least which British 

 manufactures have received from those of France have been 

 repaid and compensated iu what France has learned from the 

 industry and skill of the British farmer (applause). I have 

 detained you perhaps too long (chters)~I am quite sure quite 

 long enough ; if the speech bemca5nTed by my own merits, it 

 is already more extended than need be (cries of " Go on," and 

 cheers). If it were to be measured by the dignity and by the 

 capability of the subject, then I am afraid, gentlemen, I might 

 prolong these observations until even your patience v, ould be 

 exhausted, and my best apology would not be received with 

 that cheering and reassuring encouragement to continue which 

 some of you have given. It is my duty to remember, and, if 

 necessary, to remind you, that even the happy hours of such a 

 meeting as this, where we mix together our sympathies and 

 feelings, and exchange our ideas v^ith regard to matters deeply 

 interesting to our o-.vn state, and the condition of the country 

 — even those happy hours must draw to an end ; for, after 

 what I have said with regard to the claims of the Royal Agri- 

 cultural Society, I will not longer trespass, even with your per- 

 mission, upon your patience; but I will beg you uov/ to join 

 me in sustaining that good character which Chester — and I 

 hope 1 may say with regard to a neighbouring county so near 

 — which Flintshire, fdso, has shown upon this present occasion. 

 It is admitted on all hands you have given the society a wel- 

 come worthy of its services and its objects. Give a similar 

 welcome to the toast I now propose to you : " Prosperity to 

 the Eoyal Agricultural Society of England" (loud cheers). 

 The toast having been drunk with loud cheers, 

 Lord PoRTMAN, in proposing the health of the president of 

 the society, said : As one of the half-witted, half-educated. 



half-instructed farmers, as ignorant as a farmer might be, if 

 tiiey were to attempt to come up to the standard which the 

 right hon. gentleman had placed before them as to what was 

 to make the perfect farmer, he trusted they should never be 

 submitted to a competitive examination. It was his duty, 

 however, to propose to them the health of the president of 

 that great society. He had known his noble friend from 

 earliest boyhood. He had known him at Eton, ?nd he had 

 again known him upon his first farm ; and it was because they 

 had endeavoured to mingle science with practice that they had 

 chosen him to be president of this society. His Lordship 

 then referred in lively terms to the weeds and slovenly farming 

 he had witnessed in Cheshire. 



Lord Berners, in responding, said that for 20 years the 

 society had migrated to various parts of the country, and he 

 must say that their migration to the county of Chester 

 would not be without its essential benefit. It appeared 

 that there had been spent in the society siiice its 

 establishment no less tlian £15i,470 in the promotion of 

 agricultural improvement ; and that there were last year 

 5,200 members belonging to the society. Since the commence- 

 ment of the society there had been not less than 10,000 mem- 

 bers elected ; and there was this curious fact — it was a fact 

 which he was much surprised at hearing from their worthy 

 secretary, Mr. Hudson, to whom the whole country owed a debt 

 of gratitude for the energy and zeal he had displayed in the 

 execution of his duty — that, since the commencement of the 

 society, the secretary stated to him, the average change in three 

 days was no less than two new members, and two members 

 who had ceased to be connected with them from deaths or 

 casualties. Such, then, was the stability of the society. 

 During his presidency they had seen what he thought all ac- 

 knowledged to be an established fact — -that steam-power could 

 be applied to ploughing (applause). He thought all who had 

 seen the ploughs at work were perfectly satisfied that there 

 were many soils, certainly such as that of the deep alluvial 

 lauds of Chester, which wanted nothing but the application cf 

 science with practice to become the most valuable in England. 



Sir W. Wynn, M.P., said : My Lord, may I ask you and 

 the ladies in the gallery to pay a tribute of gratitude to the 

 mayor and corporation of this city for the kindness they have 

 shown, and for the assistance they have given to this society in 

 making this show, what it must be allowed on all hands to be, 

 one of the most successful that the society has ever held. I 

 may say that up to the present time one-third more people 

 have been in the show-yard than on any previous occasion 

 (cheers). I think we ought to be obliged to the corporation 

 for placing iu the hands of the society that magnificent roodee 

 which makes so good a show-ground, and we may thank the 

 citizens for allowing us to dine in this hall. I think I am only 

 returning the feeling of this society when we thank the mayor 

 on behalf of the society (cheers). He is one who has laboured 

 Diost indefatigably from the first time when it was suggested 

 that this society should come to Chester ; and since it was 

 determined to hold the show here, he has worked most un- 

 ceasingly iu trying to bring it to the successful issue, in which 

 he has succeeded. "The Mayor and Corporation of Cheater" 

 (cheers). 



The M.^^YOR of Chkster : lie was glad the city had 

 been able to afford the best show ground the Society had 

 ever had, on which, perhaps, he might say, the finest show 

 of cattle ever held bj-tlie Society had t^ken place (cheers). 

 He must also congratulate the noble chairman on being 

 present on this occasion, as being the first to introduce the 

 Roj'al Agricultural Society to this locality. He (the Mayor) 

 could not take to himself the credit which Sir W. W. 



