98 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



The letting commenced 3)iortly after two o'clock, Mr. King 

 of the firm of Nockolds and King, of Saffron Walden, Essex, 

 acting as sfiictioneer. The sheep called into the ring in front 

 of the rostrum were started at the prices affixed to them above, 

 and if no advance was made the party calling any sheep in 

 was adjudged the hirer ; the highest bidder, of course, taking 

 any ram, in re;^ard to which competition ensued. The results 

 of the letting will be probably beat shown in a tabular form : 



These were all the rams hired at the public letting. The 

 gross amount at which they were put up was £1,524 128., and 

 the gross amount they realized was £1,812 6s., which, divided 

 by 65 (the number let), gives an average of £27 17s. 72-d. per 

 head, or upwards of £2 iu excess of any year since 1852, with 

 the exception of last year, which was an unusually good one. 

 The competition was rather languid towards the close of the 

 letting, and the circle round the ring thinned considerably. It 

 will be observed, however, that iu the early part of the pro- 

 ceedings there was a good deal of activity in the bidding, more 

 particularly with regard to Nos. 113, 221, 222, 57, 8, 231, and 

 130. The bids for the last mounted up rapidly, the advance 

 being frequently three or four guineas at once. Eventually 

 the ram, which was a very splendid one, was hired by Mr. 

 Sabiue, of Newmarket, on behalf of an American gentleman, 

 Mr. Liudsey, of New York ; and it was reported that it would 

 probably be purchased, and remain in the United States. It 

 was also stated that 197 guineas is the largest sum ever ob- 

 tained by Mr. Webb for the hire of a single ram. Among the 

 other hirers whose names transpired may be mentioned the 

 agents of the Duke of Beaufort, the Duke of Newcastle, the 

 Earl of Leicester, and the Earl of Yarborough. The visitors 

 and bidders included Mr. Lugar, Hengrave, Suffolk ; Mr. W. 

 Moore, Eastwell Park, Kent (steward to the Earl of Winchil- 

 sea); Mr. J. Overman, Burnham, Norfolk; Mr. J. A. 

 lloublon, Hallingbury, Essex ; Mr. S. Jonas, Chrishall Grange, 

 Cambridgeshire; Mr. Field, agent to Mr. H. Sherbrooke, 

 Hoxton, Southwell, Nottinghamshire; Mr, H. Woods, agent 

 to Lord Wahingham; Mr. R. Woods, agent to Mr. G. S. 

 Foljambe, Osberton Hall, Worksop, Nottingham; Mr. J. 

 Woods, agent to the Duke of Portland, Clipston Park, Mans- 

 field, Nottinghamshire ; Mr. J. S. Shcrwiu, Brdmcote Hall, 

 Nottinghamshire ; Mr. Rigden, Sussex ; Mr. J. S. Turner, 

 Sussex ; Mr. R. Leeds, West Lexham, Norfolk ; Major Pem- 

 berton ; Mr. Stenning, Reigate, Surrey ; Mr. Bradwell, South- 

 well, Nottingham; Mr. Josling, Roxwell, Essex; Mr. H. 

 Bramston, Roxwell, Essex; Mr. E. Turrville, Roxwell, Essex; 

 Mr. H. Beadel, Chelmsford, Essex ; Mr. H. Aylraer, West 

 Dereham, Norfolk ; Mr. R. B. Aylmer, Norfolk ; Mr. Francis 

 Pym, Biggleswade; Mr. Colvin, Essex; Mr. Caswell, Laugh- 

 ton, Lincolnshire; the Marquis de Vogue (France); the Hon. 

 and Sev. Latimer Neville; Mr. J. St. Quinton, Bedfjrdshire; 

 Mr. D. Watley, Surrey ; Mr. Parker Hammond, the agent of 

 Mr. Kekewich, Devonshire ; Mr. W. AVatkin Wynne, M.P. 

 for Merionethshire ; Mr. Sach, Coblentz ; Mr. H. J. Adeane, 

 M.P. for Cambridgeshire (and Mr. Webb's landlord) ; Mr. E. 

 Hicks ; Mr. R. Scott, Skerving, Scotland ; Mr. J. H. Wilkin- 

 son ; Captain Davies, R.N.; Mr. S, Clayden, Mr. Waters, 

 Mr. Frost, &c., &c. 



On the conclusion of the public letting — with reference to 

 which it should be observed that Mr. Webb had despatched 

 some of his best rams for exhibition at the Salisbury Meeting 

 of the Royal Agricultural Society — the company adjourned to 

 the usual subatantial diu)ier with which the proceedings of the 

 day are agreeably varied. The entertainment took place in 

 one of the farm buildings, which was dressed up gaily for the 

 occasion with evergreens and flags. The Hon. Eliot Yorke, 

 M.P. for Cambridgeshire, presided, and was supported right 

 and left by Mr. Adeane, M.P , and Mr. Wynne, M.P. Mr. 

 Webb occupied the vice-chair at the further extremity of the 

 long shed, and the party, which included the principal farmers 

 of Cambridgeshire, numbered altogether about 300. Dinner 

 concluded, the Hon. Chairman proposed the usual loyal, 

 patriotic, and complimentary toasts, in addition to the health 

 of the Emperor of the French, whom he warmly eulogized. 

 Each toast was accompanied with a diffuse, although fluent 



