THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



433 



nished by the previous publication of the lectures iu newspa- 

 pers (Hear, hear), He thought he had now said enough with 

 regard to the lectures. There was another question bearing 

 on the same point — he had referred to it before, but he must 

 continue to do so until it had been fully and efTectually dis- 

 cussed ; he alluded to the Wednesday meetiugs. On Wed- 

 nesday during the season the members of that society were at 

 liberty to come there, listen to any paper which might be read, 

 and take part iu the subsequent discuEsion. But by an ex- 

 traordinary rule— a rule which was not adopted, he believed, 

 by any other society which had not a reporter of its own — 

 reporters for the press were excluded. He knew that some 

 societies which had discussions on important subjects employed 

 their own reporter, and if that society were to do so the ex- 

 pense would probably not exceed £150 a-year. This 

 rule of exclusion was utterly indefensible. Either the 

 papers read were important, or they were not impor- 

 tant. If they were important the sooner they were 

 given to the agricultural public the better ; if they 

 were not important, why should they be read there at all? 

 He wished to know why that society did not in this respect 

 follow the example of mauy of the learned societies — for 

 example, the Society of Arts, the Geographical Society, and 

 the Ethnological Society, whose discussions were reported. 

 The other day Mr. Chadwick read a paper there to about 15 

 persons : that gentleman being a litterateur, his paper soon 

 appeared in print, and was read everywhere ; but the valuable 

 observations made on the occasion by Mr. Dickenson and 

 Lord Essex were entirely lost. It often happened that gen- 

 tlemen who were not disposed to prepare a paper made very 

 valusble remarks in the course of discussion (Hear, hear). 

 The proceedings of the Farmers' Club afforded frequent proofs 

 that such was the case ; but there the remarks made in dis- 

 cussion went forth to the public, while in the case of this 

 society any remarks which were elicited by the reading of a 

 paper were practically lost to agriculturists (Hear, hear). 

 In fact, that society was in what he might justly describe as a 

 torpid state ; it was doing exactly the same things that it did 

 20 years ago, and was going through exactly the same routine, 

 whereas there was no reason why, with its increased influence 

 and command of money, it should not do a great deal more 

 (Cheers). Why did it always continue the same routine ? 

 Because it had always the same gentlemen at the head of 

 affairs (Hear, hear). In looking over the list of the Council 

 which had juat been adopted, he observed that the name of an 

 eminent implement maker who was on the Council last year 

 had been omitted. Well, he had no objection to the principle 

 of omitting an old name in order that there might be an in- 

 fusion of new blood into the Council ; but, then, what was 

 sauce for the goose was sauce for the gander (laughter) ; 

 and he thought that if they looked over the list which had 

 been presented, they might find the names of some other gen- 

 tlemen who might be relegated to other duties without injury 

 to the society (renewed laughter). He had himself proposed 

 the Duke of Sutherland in the place of Mr. Barker, not in 

 the hope that his amendment would be carried, but simply 

 with the view of establishing, as it were, the principle that 

 there might be a change in the list submitted (Hear, hear). 

 Those who had read the interesting memoirs of Sir Robert 

 Peel knew that when that statesman, on one occasion, recon- 

 structed his ministry, Lord Eldon was very much annoyed 

 at being left out. Lord Eldon was doubtless a very able 

 and a very amiable man ; but his coUeages thought that how- 

 ever able he might have proved himself in past times, the 

 period had arrived when it was desirable that he should 

 retire from active life, and give place to others who were 

 younger aud more energetic (Hear, hear). The same prin- 

 ciple was applicable to the management of the affairs of 

 that society. The most satisfactory thing, to his mind, which 

 he had heard on that occasion, was that the president for the 

 ensuing year was to be his Royal Highness the Prince Consort 

 (cheers). He would tell them why he considered it so satis- 

 factory. It was not only in consequence of his Royal High- 

 ness being a piactical farmer, though that was of course a 

 great point, nor in consequence of his distinguished rank ; it 

 was also because his Royal Highness had never taken 

 an interest in any art or science without having shown him- 

 self to be in favour of progress (cheers). He did entertain a 

 very confident expectation that when his Royal Highness took 

 the chair he would not be satisfied with doing what the noble 

 earl who occupied the chair that moinlDg did, and with great 



ability and courtesy, at the last meeting ; that was, with de- 

 fending the society for doing nothing (loud laughter). He 

 (Mr. Sidney) must confess he never heard a more able defence 

 than that (renewed laughter) ; but, nevertheless, he trusted 

 that, as his Royal Bigness the Prince Consort had identified 

 his name with progress in other departments, so he would also 

 identify it with progress in connection with the Royal Agri- 

 cultural Society (Cheers). 



The motion was theu put and carried. 



The Chairman said the next duty he had to perform was 

 that of announcing the place for the General Meeting of the 

 Society in 1862. Under the Charter they were bound to 

 hold three meetiugs in the year, two in London and one in the 

 country. Next year the aunual exhibition being held in 

 London, it would be necessary to dissociate that from the 

 country meeting, and in couforraitj' with the terms of the 

 Charter to hold a general meeting somewhere in the country. 

 The Council thought that Windsor would be the best place in 

 the country for holding that meeting, which would not be a 

 meeting for exhibition, but simply one for the transaction of 

 any business that might be brought before it. Windsor had 

 therefore been selected as the place for the General Meeting 

 of the Society in the country in the year 1862. 



Col. Hoou, the Chairman of the Finance Committee, pre- 

 sented the following balance-sheet : — 



ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF ENGLiND. 



HALF-YEARLY CASH ACCOUNT FROM JULY 1 TO DEO. 31, 1803. 

 DR. 



To Balance in hand, 1st Julj, 1800 :— £ s. d. 



Bankers 3,647 6 10 



Secretary 12 15 



To Income, viz.:— 3,660 110 



Dividend on stock.. .. 



Subscriptions : — 



Governors' Ufa-com- 

 position 



Governors' annual 



Members' life-com- 

 positions 



Members' annual 



Journal :— Sales.. 

 Advertisements 



189 

 2,112 





 



141 11 '2 

 47 13 3 



Country meeting :— Canterbury 



2,836 1 



189 

 3,867 



6,064 17 2 

 je9,724 19 



Or. 

 By Expenditure : — £ s. d 



Official salaries and 



wages (3 quariers) 491 9 

 Establishment — House "1 



expenses, rent, ^836 15 3 

 taxes, insurance ..J 



Postage and carriage . 

 Journal : — 

 Printing .. 



Editor's salary (3 



quartert) .. 

 Prize essays .. 

 Other contributors 

 Delivery and adver- 

 tising 



Consulting chemist's 

 salary 



Advertisements .. .. 



Testimonial to B. T. Brandreth 

 Gibbs, Esq , Balance,, 



Sundries .. .. •• • 



Subscriptions returned 



37.'5 

 120 

 72 3 



123 15 C 



By Country meetings : — 

 Paid on account — 

 Canterbury expenses. 

 Leeds 



Prizes at Canterbury- 

 Stock 



Implements .. .< 



By Purchase of Dynamometer 

 By Balance in hand : — 



Banlxers • 



Secretary .. .. 



£ s. d 



828 4 3 

 26 12 8 



1,162 15 5 



150 



3 12 6 



25 4 



10 2 4 



3 



4,215 15 8 

 1 1 



1,236 19 2 

 41 13 4 



£ s. d. 



(Signed) 



2,209 11 2 



4,216 15 4 



1,920 

 100 



1,278 12 fl 

 £9,724 19 



