THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



63 



(laughter). He would now ask them to drink "Success to 

 the Club ;" and so long as it was maintained as it was at 

 present, so long as it was supported by the tenant-farmers 

 of the country, so long, no doubt, it would continue to be 

 successful. He wished it success, not only because he was, 

 as they all knew, a warm friend to the agricultural interest 

 (cheers), but also because he believed in hia conscience 

 that by promoting agriculture they were doing wliat was 

 best for every class of their fellow-subjects (cheers). 



The toast was drunk with great entbusiasm. 



The Chairman then presented the Society's gold medal 

 to Mr. Stratton, as the exhibitor of the best steer in any of 

 the classes, after which he proposed, and the company 

 drank, that gentleman's health. 



Mr. Stratton, in returning thanks, said : the animal for 

 which he had obtained the gold medal was the best that 

 he had ever had; but he would endeavour to exhibit a 

 better another year, feeling as he did that they ought never 

 to imagine that they had attained perfection. There was a 

 time when he could not win any prize ; but by coming to 

 the shows, and comparing his own animals with thoae of 

 others, he had learned where the imperfections lay ; and 

 he had corrected them as well as he could. 



The Chairman then presented to Mr. J. W. Brown the 

 gold medal for the best heifer or cow in any of the classes. 



This gentleman's health having been subsequently drunk, 



Mr. ISrown said that was the first gold medal he had 

 had the pleasure and satisfaction of receiving, and no doubt 

 his success would eucourage others to persevere as he had 

 done. There were several things essential to success. They 

 must look out for good animals to begin with. He hap- 

 pened to live in a neighbourhood where there were great 

 advantages in that respect. He resided in the same locality 

 as Mr. Stratton, and he had not failed to avail himself of 

 the facilities which were thus afforded to him for making 

 improvements in his stock. 



Lord Berners, in pi-esenting to the Noble Uuke in the 

 chair the gold medal for the best pen of short- wools of all 

 classes, observed that they all knew that his Grace did his 

 best to fulfil any promise which he had made. Two or three 

 years before he said that, although Mr. Rigden was the 

 winner of the first prize in this department on that occa- 

 sion, they might rely upon it that he would do his best to beat 

 him hereafter. Like a good soldier, he had done his duty 

 by redeeming that promise, and he (Lord Berners) had 

 now the pleasure of proposing his health as the winner of 

 the gold medal. (Cheers). He had also to propose his 

 noble Lordship's health in another capacity — namely, that 

 of Chairman. (Renewed cheers). He well knew that that 

 toast would be received with the enthusiasm v/ith which 

 his Grace's name was always received, whether among the 

 farmers of England or the farmers of Scotland ; for in no 

 place did the name of the Duke of Richmond fail to evoke 

 a feeling of enthusiasm. (Cheers). He now proposed that 

 the health of his Grace should be drunk with all the 

 honours; and he knew he expressed the feeling of all present 

 when he said they were gratified at his being able to preside 

 that day, and fervently hoped that he would long be spared 

 to preside over a club to which he had done so much good. 

 (Loud cheers). 



The toast was drunk with three times three. 



The Chairman, who on rising was greeted with 

 reiterated cheers, said, he could not plead that that was the 

 first time that he had risen to return thanks at a great agri- 

 cultural meeting for the enthusiastic manner in which he 

 had been received. He had for some years been anxious 

 for the improvement of agriculture, and he had never neg- 

 lected an opportunity that was presented to him of meeting 

 the tenant-farmers of the country ; and he had often 

 remarked on those occasions, and at other agricultural 

 gatherings, that he thought the landowner who did not take 

 every opportunity of meeting the tenantry lost one of the 



freatest pleasures a landlord could have. (Cheers). He 

 ad attended, perhaps, some hundreds of dinners ; 

 he had also attended many other meetings to which 

 he could not now allude, and which had other 

 objects than that of passing a pleasant evening, and he 

 could declare that on no occasion had he ever been received 

 otherwise than with marks of esteem, regard, and affection 

 from every farmer with whom he had the good fortune to be 



associated (cheers). lie should, therefore, be ungrateful in- 

 deed if he did not endeavour to express his detire long to con- 

 tinue to meet thera. But there were circumstances which no 

 niau could prevent. Laat year was, he believed, a'most the 

 first year in which he bad not been present at the annual 

 dinner, and the cause of his absence was that he felt it to be 

 a paramount duty to remain with the militia regiment which 

 ho comoiauded, and which was embodied only for a few days 

 (Hear, hear). He felt that his presence was necessary, to pre- 

 vent men from getting iuto scrapes, which some young men 

 would do (laughter). He was early taught that duty was to 

 be first, pleasure second (Hear, hear). His duty last year was 

 to be at Dover, his pleasure would have been to meet them 

 (cheers). He thanked the club for having re-elected him as 

 President, lie was proud of it (cheers). He was proud to 

 have an opportunity ou occasions like that of making new ac- 

 quaintances among the members of the club ; and at the same 

 tmie, looking around, he was gratified to see so many of hia 

 old friends present that evening. So long as Providence 

 should give him health and strength, he would always en- 

 deavour to meet them ; and in the meantime, though he 

 could not express his feelings, he hoped they would all believe 

 that oue feature of his character was, that he was not an un- 

 grateful man (cheers). 



The Chairman then presented the Gold Medal to Mr. 

 George Beale for the best pen of pigs in any of the classes ; 

 after which that gentleman's health was drunk, and he briefly 

 returned thanks. 



Mr. C. Barnett proposed "The Health of the Vice- 

 Presidents and Trustees." He said, on all such occasions as 

 that, it was their duty to acknowledge their obligatious to 

 such as filled those positions ; but he regretted that hia 

 feeling in proposing this toast was not one of unmixed satis- 

 faction. There were many absent whom he could wish to see 

 there ; and although he was aware of the value of their ser- 

 vices, and although he knew that they wished prosperity to 

 the society, he wished they would, by their presence, support 

 to a greater degree the object which he knew they had at 

 heart in accepting their offices. In proposing, however, the 

 health of the Vice-Presidents and Trustees of the society, he 

 was happy to able to connect with that toast the name of his 

 noble lord ou his left. Lord Berners (cheera). They were all 

 avfare that no man coimected with that Club, or with any 

 agricultural society in England, had worked harder, or with a 

 more honest heart, to cany out the objects which they all had 

 in view. With such a noble Lord as that for a Vicf-Presideut, 

 and with the Vice-Presidents and Trustees all of whom he 

 was sorry not to see on that occasion, to co-operate with him, 

 he was quite certain that that Club would remain permanently 

 successful (eheers). He had also full confidence that as vacar.- 

 cies arose in the various offices mea of the right stamp would 

 be found to fill them. 



The toast having been drunk with the honours. 



Lord Berners, in the name of the other vice-presi- 

 dents and the trustees begged to return cordial thanks for 

 the honour which had been done them. He sympathized 

 in the regret of Mr. Earnctt that he was the only vice-presi- 

 dent pieaent on that occasion. He regretted it especially, 

 because he was aware that many of bis colleagues would have 

 returned thanks in a far better mauner thin he could, though 

 he was sure none of them desired more heartily to promote the 

 interests of the club (cheers). He might, perhaps, be allowed 

 to congratulate them on the state of their finances and the 

 genera! prosperity of the club, a topic which had been already 

 alluded to by their noble president, the Duke of Richmond. 

 He believed that was almost the only club of the kind in ex- 

 istence which, instead of having auytbiug to pay for the occu- 

 pation of its showyard, received from that source a large sum 

 of money. They obtained, he believed, £700 a-year for the 

 privilege of holding their show in Baker-street. Many of them 

 must recollect how they outgrew, as it were, the premises in 

 Goswell-street. It was now very evident that they had in a 

 similar manuer outgrown the premises in Baker-atreet ; and 

 he thought that fact alone proved that under the presidency 

 of the Duke of Richmond the club had prospered to an unpre- 

 cedented extent, and was conferring the greatest possible 

 benefit upon the country. He would now take that oppor- 

 tunity of mentioning that there was a motion on the minutes 

 of the club to the effect that a committee had been appointed 

 to search for a larger and more commodious place of exhibition, 



