484 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINJ 



up ia the country, and returned when the members 

 could not attend, the Council woyld not be what it 

 now is. I remain, Sir, yours truly, 



An Old Member. 



TO THE EDITOR OP THE MARK-LANE EXPRESS. 



Sir,— The first article in j'our paper of yesterday ia an 

 important one for the best iutereat of the Koyal AgricuUisral 

 Society. Moit of the members of this asaociatioa are men, 

 like myself, too busily employed in the daily routine of iudns- 

 trial arocatioua to lose a day in riiuning up to town for the 

 purpose of attending a "General Meeting" of this society; 

 but there are msny, like myself, who feel the neceasity of 

 more practical men on the committee of management, end who 

 vjould gladly give thtir vote — not oi.Iy on this, but on other 

 important subjec!s which may be introduced, if they could 

 give it, by proxy. I am, Sir, 



Your obedient servant. 



May 23. A Tenant Farmer. 



TO THE EDITOR OF THE MARK LANE EXPRESS. 



Siji,— Will you allow me to say a few words on one state- 

 ment ia the Report of the Council of the Koyal Agricultural 

 Society published yesttrday ? Mr. Frere is said to have been 

 selected in conaequencs cf his " hirjU teithnonials." Now, sir, 

 everybody knows that tcatimoaiah alone ore per'ectly value- 

 less ; they can readily be obtained, and their strength depends 

 much upon the ftiendship of the donor aud the ijrade of the 

 c:indidate. If general report speaks correctly, JMr. Frere ii 

 aa unknowH roan ; and there is no public proof of his having 

 written a single article on agriculture or its collateral branches ! 

 Then how, let me ask, could these high teatitnonials be given ? 

 Why are they not publishtd? There is another fcsture in the 

 report, that should cot escape observatioa. The Council adver- 

 tised for a ■' scientific" editor ; but in the Report they say 

 *' scientific aud literary." Why was the word "literary" with- 

 held from the advertisement? Is this, sir, quite aj it should 

 be? Against Mr. Frere I have nothing to say ; he may be a 

 light hidden (or a long time under a Cambridge bush<?l, or he 

 may, like some seeds, now that he is brought to the surface, 

 vivify aud bear abundant fruit. This will be determined by 

 his papers in the Journal ; but at present there is somelhiiig 

 strange aud inexplicable .Tibout the affair, which Uads even the 

 passive men, constituting niueteea-twentietiis of the society, 

 for once to open their eyes r.nd ask a question. 

 I am, sir, yours obediently. 



May 23. -'^.nti-Testimonial. 



SMITHFIELD CLUB. 



Aspecial general meeting of the members was held at the Free- 

 mason's Tavern, on Tuesday last. May 22ud, at 2 o'clock. Lord 

 Berners presided. There were also present : Lord Feversham, 

 Hon. Colonel Hood, Sir John Shelley, and Messrs. H. Bran- 

 dreth, Edward Frost, Alfred Sutton, Martin Sutton, William 

 Exall, C. T. Tower, Jonaa Webb, John Giblett, B. E. Ben- 

 nett, Joseph Druce, John Ciayden, H. Waters, John Hitch- 

 man, Thomas Moitiu, R. Worthington, William Heath, Wm. 

 Rigdeu, Thomas Twitchell, W. G. Guerrier, O. Wallis, Alfred 

 Crosakill, James Howard, R. Garrett, Robert Morgan, R. Mil- 

 ward, Nathan Clayton, W. M. Ballivant, Brewster, Wm.Torr, 

 Professor Simouds, J. J. Smythe.jun., H.Corbet, E.W.Moore, 

 Alien Kansome, W. Banbury, W. Fisher Hobbs, S. Sidney, 



T. Pain, W. U. Davis, Samuel Dru<.e, Jan., Robert Charles 

 Ransome, W. Tanner, Thomas Bigg, Charles Stokes, Robert 

 Smith, B. T. Brandreth Gibbs, hou. secretary, aud the Smith- 

 field Club Solicitor, and the proposed Company's Solicitor. 



The Secretary read the report of the Show Yard Com- 

 mittee : 



"The Committee having considered the different proposals 

 that have from time to time been made, sre cf opinion that 

 the site known as Dixon's Layers at Islington is the moat 

 advantageous for the Club's exhibition. They therefore re- 

 commend that if a responsible company be formed, who will 

 enter into an agreement to erect a suitable building on the 

 site known aa Dixon's Layers, to the satisfaction of the Club, 

 also to pay to the Clab one thousand pounds per annum, and 

 to enter into an arrangement on similar terms to those now 

 made wiih JMr. Bouluois, the Club shall lease their exhibition 

 fjra teriu of not exceeding 21 years, cotomencicg 1862." 



On a proposal that this report be received and adopted. Sir 

 John Shelley moved and Colonel Hood seconded the 

 followisg amendment : 



" Teat the written recommendation of the Committee re- 

 lative to an agreement being entered into with a responsible 

 Company, to erect a suitable building en the site known as 

 Dixon's Layers at Islington, in which the annual shows of the 

 Club shall be held, for the term of 21 years, commencing from 

 the year 1862, be received, and that the honorary ficcretary 

 be instructed to send a copy of such written recommendation 

 to every member of the club, and that such memi)ers be re- 

 quested to signify to the secretary their individual arsent or 

 dissent to the terms of the recommeadation. And that the 

 further consideration cf the recommendation by the general 

 mestiug be adjourned until the next." 



A long di;cu:sion followed, but on being put by the Chair- 

 man, the araend.ment wa^ negatived by sixteen to eight, and 

 the report received sccordingly. 



Previous to the division the proposed Company's solicitor, 

 at the request of the Cliair.Tisn, reail the names of the Directors 

 already appointed : Messrs. Jonas Webb, Babrahaiu (chair- 

 man); Joseph Shuttleworth, Lincoln (vice-chairman); Joseph 

 Druce, Ens,ham ; John Claydcn, Littlebury, Esstx; Robert 

 Leeds, West Lexhara, Norfolk; James Howard, Bedford; 

 Richard Garrett, Leiston; James Odams, Fenc'r.urth-street ; 

 John Banister, South-street, Fiusbnry ; John Giblett, Lower 

 Clapton ; Robt. Morgan, Camdcu Road Villaa ; and William 

 Collins, St. John-street-road, Clerkenwell. 



Colonel Hood thca suggested that it would be more be- 

 coming if geiitlcmen so directly interested in the new com- 

 pany did not vote, aud Mr. Jonas Webb withdrew on the 

 motion being put. The other Directors, hov.evcr, gave their 

 votes, of course against the rimcndment. 



The following Committee of the Club was appointed to 

 confer with the solicitors : Messrs. MilwarJ, B. E. Bennett, 

 W. Torr, R. Charles Ransome, S. Druce, jun., Owen Wallisi 

 Thomas Tivitchell, and the six Stewards, viz. : J, Quartly, 

 Henry Smith, Charles Stokes, Henry Waters, John Ford, juu., 

 and T. B. Northeast. 

 It was further resolved : 



"That a special general meeting of the members of the 

 Club be held at the Freemasons' Tavern, Great Queen- street, 

 on Wednesday, June 6th, 1860, at three o'clock, to receive the 

 report of the Committee appointed on the 22iid instant, 

 to confer with the solicitors, in order to make the necessary 

 arrangements with the Company to carry the resolution 

 into effect, aud report the same to a special geueral meeting 

 of the Club." 



THE HERDS OF 

 Chap. XVIII. 

 THE HOLKER HERD. 



Our bleak March trip last year to see Prince 

 Imperial, and his attendant Waterloos and Fenellas, at 

 Red Bank, had impressed us with rather a dreary notion 

 of Morecambe Bay, which the early Cumberland re- 

 membrance of a seven hours' naval speech in favour of 

 carrying the railway across it d id not tend to lessen. 



GREAT BRITAIN. 



The sun, however, shone out cheerily as we left the 

 Lancaster and Carlisle at Carnforth, and skirted 

 the many " windings of the silver coast" on the branch 

 line towards Ulverstone. The sea breaks under the 

 very wall of the railvray, and winds in-and-out among 

 innumerable creeks, clothed with dark-coloured planta- 

 tions, which slope down to the water's edge. In fact, 

 the marine and rural scenery is so strangely blended, that 

 at cue moment there was nothing to be seen but a few 



