THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



481 



a life member, aud uot a goveruor, he was not eligible for the 

 office of vice-president (laughter). 



Mr. Raymoud Barker and the remaioiDg ■vice-presidents 

 who retired by rotation were couaequently then re-elected. 



The Chairman said, before calliug upon the secretary to 

 read the report, he must congratulate the meeting on the 

 prospect of the Society being presided over by liia Royal 

 Highness the Prince Consort, on the very interesting and 

 important occasion of the holding of their country naeeting, 

 to use what was somewhat of an Irishism, in London (laugh- 

 ter). Some yeais ago, when the first Great Exhibition was 

 held iu the metropolis, the Society was graciously permitted 

 by Her Majesty to hold its meeting in the Home P.«rk, at 

 Windsor. Next year an exhibition was to take place in Lon- 

 don, which would no doubt attract persons from all parts of 

 Europe ; and as in that year the Society's meeting was to 

 be held there, he thought they were taking the course 

 which was most consonant to the interests of the Society in 

 requesting the Prince Consort to accept the office of Presi- 

 dent ; aud he was sure that every member of the Society, 

 who had observed what a lengthened and continuous iu- 

 terei-t the Piiuce Consort had taken in the annual shows, 

 hT)w he had attended theoi on several occasions himself, and 

 how largely he had contributed to the exhibitions of animals, 

 would agree with him that they were very fortunate in being 

 thus enabled to show His Royal Highness the sense they en- 

 tertained of the services which he had rendered to that So- 

 ciety (cheers). Her Majesty had been pleased to consent to 

 the Show next year being held in Regent's Park ; and the 

 Council had juat concluded the requisite arrangement of 

 terms with the Chief Commissioners of Woods and Forests. 

 That park would afford an extremely eligible site. The space 

 of 26 acres, which the Society would be permitted to occupy; 

 would afford ample room for the show, and also for the great 

 multitudes of people who would probably attend ; for in a 

 place like London it was as necessary that there should be 

 large alleys, or facilities of circulation for the spectators, as 

 that there should be ample space to show the animals and 

 implements to the greatest advantage. The report would 

 mention the vacancies which had taken place among the 

 Trustees and Vice-Presidents, and which had been filled up 

 in the ordinary course by the Council. One of the vacancies 

 waa caused by the decease of the late Duke of Sutherland, 

 who was one of the very earliest members of the Society, and 

 who took a great and enlightened interest in the condition of 

 the large estates which both in England and Scotland he in- 

 herited. The Council had been able to make a further invest- 

 ment of £2,000 in the Three per Cents., through the diligence 

 and success of the Finance Committee in collecting a consi- 

 derable quantity of long outstanding arrears. He would 

 here remark that gentlemen who took an interest in the 

 financial prosperity of the Society, could hardly assist it ia 

 any way more materially than by asking their friends, who 

 had become members, to give their bankers an order to pay 

 their subscriptions annually as they became due. It oiten 

 happened, where an order of that kind had not been given, that 

 the annual subscription was not paid at the proper time, and 

 it was generally disagreeable to pay a considerable amount of 

 arrears which had accumulated with the lapse of years (Hear, 

 hear). The Council trusted that the meeting at Leeds would 

 be a large and successful one. They had, in accordance with 

 the report of the Committee appointed to inquire into this 

 subject, determined that members should be admitted by 

 tickets gratis to the Show-yard (cheers). This was a change 

 which it had often been stated would be very agreeable to 

 the members generally. The Committee thought that, with 

 proper precautions, the wish expressed might be safely 

 gratified, and he trusted that it would not only lead to the 

 accession of a considerable number of members from among 

 those who were in the habit of attending the country meet- 

 ings, . but also tend greatly to the personal convenience of 

 members by enabling them to go in and out of the show-yard 

 as often as they wished during the day, instead of being ob- 

 liged to stay there the whole time after they had once en- 

 tered, or, if they went away, to make a fresh payment on their 

 return. The country shows had now made about a third 

 circuit of England, and as next j'ear they were to meet in the 

 metropolis, the Council thought that afforded a good oppor- 

 tunity of revising the Bistricta into which the country was 

 divided for the country meetings, these not having been exactly 

 the same in the first and second tours: They found that the 



first tour was a very good one, and considered it desirable 

 that it should be retained. The country now stood divided 

 into nine rural districts, with a tenth district comprising the 

 metropolis aud its nei.^jhbourhood : probably a decennial interval 

 would always be suiliciently remote from the preceding metro- 

 politan meeting to ensure a continued attraction of the very 

 Urge population of the metropolitan district. Li conclusion, 

 he begged to state that the valuable lecture " On the Rot in 

 Sheep," which was delivered a short time ago by Professor 

 Simonds, was ;in process of printing under the direction of 

 the Printing Committee ; and he hoped that in a short time 

 it would be issued, and that it would prove useful iu all parts 

 of the country during the present summer. 



The Secretary (Mr. H. Hall Dare) then read the following 

 report of the Conned : 



PvEPGRT. 

 The Council have to report to the members at their pre- 

 sent general meeting that during the past half-year 87 

 members have been elected into the Society, 6 governors 

 and 67 members have died, aud the names of 230 mem- 

 bers have been on various accounts omitted from the 

 list of the Society, which accordingly now comprises : 

 81 Life Governors, 

 90 Governors, 

 :!,.S28 JMembers, 

 1,113 Life Members, and 

 18 Honorary Members, 



Making a total of 4,633 names on the list. 

 The Council have elected Lord Feversham to supply 

 the vacancy iu the class of trustees, and Lord Walsingham 

 in that of the vice-presidents, caused by the decease of 

 His Grace the Uuke of Sutherland, and the resignation of 

 the Earl of Hardwicke, 



Mr. William Sauday, of Holme Pierrepont, has been 

 elected a member of the Council in the room of Lord 

 Walsingham, and the Earl Cathcart in the room of Lord 

 Feversham. 



The statement of accounts for the half-year ending 31st 

 December, 1800, has been examined and approved by the 

 Society's auditors, and by Messrs. Qiiilter, Ball, and Co. 



The funded capital has been lately raised to the amount 

 of £14,219 2s. 9d. stock in the New Three per Cents, by 

 a further investment of ^2,000. 



The Finance Committee have been enabled to effect 

 this by the large collection of arrears of subscription, 

 which they have received authority from the Council to 

 require aU defaulters to pay. Repeated applications hav- 

 ing been made for the arrears still outstanding, it has been 

 decided to take proceedings iu the County Courts against 

 those who continue indebted to the Society. 



It has been resolved that on the proposal of any person 

 as a member, a form shall be sent by the Secretary to the 

 candidate for his signature, containing an acknowledgment 

 of his future liability, which letter he must return before 

 his election can be proceeded with. 



A letter wiU also be sent to each member in the course 

 of the year, reminding him of his[subscription[being due. 



The bye-laws and resolutions of Council having been 

 collected and revised, a reprint of them has been made, 

 aud a copy will be forwarded to any member on applica- 

 tion to the Secretary. 



The question of the free admission of governors and 

 members to the show-yard during the Society's country 

 meetings has been under the consideration of the Council. 

 Governors and members who have paid their subscrip- 

 tion for the current year, will be admitted free by tickets 

 issued by the Secretary, which tickets will uot be trans- 

 ferable ; and any governor or member who shall be found 

 to transfer or lend his ticket will be reported to the 

 Council, and will in future forfeit the pi-ivileges of mem- 

 bership. Application for the member's ticket is to be 

 made in London, cither by post or personally, not later 

 than Friday, the 12th of July, and afterwards at the Secre- 

 tary's office, near the entrance to the Show-yard. 



During the last month Professor Simonds has delivered 

 a lectm-e on the Nature and Causes of the disease known 

 as the Rot of Sheep ; and Professor Voelcker, on the Manu- 

 facture of Cheese. 



It has been determined to print Professor Simonds' 

 lecture as a separate pamphlet. 



