108 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



PRESENTATION AND DINNER TO MR. DONALD, OF LINSTOCK. 



When, at the last annual meeting of the East Cumberland 

 Agricultural Society, it was announced that Mr. Thomas 

 Donald, of Linstock, after having aasiJuously and gratuitously 

 laboured as Secretary for tweuty-five years, had retired from 

 that post,. it was generally felt that some public mark of 

 respect was demanded by bis long and valuable services to the 

 Association. Mr. Donald's high private character, and the 

 wide esteem which his public spirit and integrity have secured, 

 aided the movement, and many persons who were not directly 

 connected with the agricultural society gladly availed them- 

 selves of the opportunity to testify their regard for his per- 

 sonal worth. With but little effort, therefore, a sum of about 

 loQl. was obtained, and, under the direction of a committee, 

 a massive silver salver, an elegant silver coffee pot, a silver 

 claret-jug, aud a gold watch and chain were purchased as 

 suitable testimonials to remind Mr. Donald of the number of 

 his friends and the estimation in which they held him. The 

 presentation took place on Saturday, Jan. 15, at a public 

 dinner in Carlisle. 



The salver or coffee tray is oval in shape, and richly chased, 

 having a scroll and shield in the centre, containing the inscrip- 

 tion. The claret-jug — which is of the antique shape, and the 

 coffee-pot, are both richly chased. The following inscription 

 is engraved upon the articles : — 



Presented to 



Thomas DokAi. d, Esa, 



by the Members of the 



East Cumberland Agricultural Society, 



and other Friends, 



as a Token of their Appreciaticu of his Valuable Setvices 



as Honorary Secretary to that Society 



during a period of 25 Years. 



January 15, 1859. 



The dinner took place at the Royal Hotel, where the large 

 room was tastefully decorated for the occasion. On the end 

 wall, surrounded by a border of evergreens, hung a large 

 banner, bearing the motto '• Prosperity to the East Cumber- 

 land Agricultural Society." On each side of this, and ar- 

 ranged at intervals down the room, were bannerets with ar- 

 morial bearings. Other large flags adorned the walls, bearing 

 such mottoes as " Our Queen and Country," " Success to 

 Agriculture," &c., and the Royal arms furnished the other end 

 of the room. The coffee-pot and claret-jug were placed on 

 the salver, on the table before the chairman. Captain James, 

 of Lothian Gill, presided, aud John Birkett, Esq., of Broom- 

 hill, occupied the vice-chair. 



After the usual loyal toasts were disposed of, the Chair- 

 man thus gave the toast of the evening : I believe I 

 am now called upon to exercise the right which you have per- 

 haps in too flattering a manner coufideJ to me, in electing me 

 as the organ of expressing your feeings towards an o'.d friend. 

 And I really was not aware, until I saw the long hst before 

 me, how embarrassing it was. Although I do not feel it em- 

 barrassing to address a public assembly when I have only my own 

 feelings to express, I feel that on the present occasion my 

 powers are not suflicient. I have not ability, and assuredly 1 

 cannot command sufficient eloquence, to express the feelings 

 which animate each one of you, and the large body of sub- 

 scribers — a lilt of whom I hold in my hand— who have thus 

 intended to express their feelings of admiration for our friend 



Mr, Donald, who, as the Mayor has rightly expressed it, ia 

 the hero of the evening. For a long series of years he has 

 been the unpaid, the very active, and, I may add, the very 

 patient servant of the East Cumberland Agricultural Society. 

 The exact period of his services I am unable to state, except 

 by looking at the very elegant inscription before me. His 

 service dates back twenty-five years— long before I, although 

 now going on for nearly twenty years' acquaintance with agri- 

 culture, had anything to do with it. Before I had anything 

 to do with attending agricultural meetings it appears that Mr. 

 Donald, who must then have been a very young man, was 

 secretary of the Society, and the friends of agriculture then 

 presented him with what was a very good specimen of the 

 work of the time — a tea service ; and I understand that this 

 (holding up the coffee-pot) is the only article wanted to com- 

 plete it. Why the coffee-pot was omittf d before, I cannot say ; 

 but the merits of Mr. Donald at that lime commanded only a 

 tea service, and it is left for us to complete the service, and 

 provide him with what all will admit to be a nice specimen as 

 a work of art — a coffee-pot. But, gentlemen, I trust Mr. 

 Donald will not estimate our respect by the intrinsic value of 

 the articles presented, but consider them as a poor, inadequate, 

 expression of the very high regard in which we hold him. Nor 

 do we hold him in that high regard lightly ; but for those 

 qualities which will amoug all nations and ia all countries 

 command esteem. I confess it has struck me occasionally aud 

 I could never reconcile it to myself Low he managed the dis- 

 cordant element that all of you know you meet on the show- 

 ground. Long before this presentation I watched, and of 

 course if I watched I found it out. I found that angry ex- 

 hibitors, persons too late to enter, impatient judges, who had 

 missed the train, and all the other difficulties, were overcome 

 by the exhibition of good temper aud tact. (Cheers and 

 laughter). Now, gentlemen, tact is a thing which, like poetry, 

 is born with a man, and our friend Mr. Donald is a very lucky 

 man to be born the possessor of tact and patience. I think a 

 lesson is to be taken from him, aud if there are any in this 

 room younger than myself, which I fancy there will be, I may 

 be allowed to recommend theai so to keep Mr. Donald in 

 mind ; and when they are spoken to, as I have heard Mr. 

 Donald spoken to, in a hasty and petulant manner, let them 

 take care not to answer too hastily. I believe this has been 

 the secret of our friend— only to answer at the right time. I 

 trust, however, the creer of Mr. Donald is not finished, and 

 that he will be an assistant at our Agricultural Society, al- 

 though he ceases to be its gratuitous servant. I trust that 

 after expressing our feelings towards him— something may 

 hsve taken place already — I may venture to express a hope 

 that when he rises to return thauks, he will inform us that he 

 has resolved no longer to delay the period of settling himself 

 in life. It is a serious and somewhat delicate point to touch 

 on, but having lived in a healthy country, aud being the father 

 of ten children, if I can't venture upon it, who can ? What 

 is the use of a coffee-pot without a helpmate ? I can under- 

 stand the use of the other (the claret jug) ; for that a bachelor 

 may use too well and too often. It only remains for me now, 

 lamenting as I do my waut of power in expressing your feel- 

 ings, to present to Mr. Donald something that will remind him 

 each day, when he puts his hand into bis waistcoat-pocket, 



