xl Annual General Meetimj, Deeemher 6, 1011. 



Regarding the entry-fees for sheep, he could only say that tlie matter had 

 been most carefully considered over and over again by thr Stock Prizes 

 Committee, but he would take care that it was mentioned to them again, in 

 view of Mr. Quested's remarks. 



Thanks to His Majesty, Retiring President. 

 The Duke of Richmond and Gordon said there was a stereotyped form 

 which brought to a close most meetings which concluded the business of a 

 company for the year, and, although it was in that sense that he had been 

 asked to address the meeting, he felt that on an occasion like the present they 

 did not want any stereotyped forms, aud could say that the motion he was 

 going to put would come generously from them from the bottom of their hearts. 

 He had been asked to propose a vote of thanks to His Majesty the King for 

 having been President during the past year. They must all recognise thoroughly 

 what generous support had been given to the agriculturists of this country by 

 the Royal Family of England, not only by his present Majesty, but by his late 

 Majesty King Edward and by Queen Victoria. Although what he was about to 

 say dealt more particularly with a fat stock show than with the general work of 

 the " Royal," he would like to mention that recently they had had a National Fat 

 Stock Show in Edinburgh. It had not been going for very many years, fifteen 

 years, he thought, but for some reason or another, he did not know why, they 

 had never received any direct Royal patronage. He had been asked to bring 

 the matter before his present Majesty, which he had done, and without any 

 demur His Majesty at once presented a valuable prize to the Scottish National 

 Fat Stock Show. Now he thought that showed clearly that His Majesty really 

 took a decided interest in what, without straining words, might be called the 

 premier industry of the country. This was the third time His Majesty had been 

 President of the "Royal." The first occasion was in 1897 when Duke of York, 

 the second in 1903 as Prince of Wales, and during the past year as King of the 

 country. He thought it added to the pleasure anil to the glory — if he might 

 use that word — of their last year's Presidency that His Majesty should have 

 been President during the year of his Coronation. He thought it marked to 

 some extent an era in their Society. They all knew that, pressed as he was 

 last summer with all the multitudinous duties that pertained to the year o| his 

 Coronation, he still found time to go down to Norwich and exhibit the personal 

 interest which he took in the Show held in his native county. He thought 

 they might rest assured that His Majesty would continue to them that gracious 

 favour of patronage which he had always so liberally bestowed on them. He 

 did not think he need detain them any longer in asking them to pass with 

 acclamation the following resolution : — 



"The Eoyal Agricultural Society of England in general meeting assembled 

 desires to express its feeling of loyal attachment, and to convey to His Majesty its 

 grateful sense of the honour to the Society and benefit to the agriculture of the 

 country conferred by His Majesty's gracious acceptance of the Presidency of the 

 Society during the past year. At the end of His Majesty's year of office the Society 

 desires once more to repeat the assurance that there is no class of his subjects more 

 devotedly attached to His Majesty than the agriculturists of England." 



In putting that motion to the meeting, his Grace thought it would probably 

 come home to all that at the present moment, when His Majesty was visiting 

 his far-off dominions, a journey which is undertaken in the belief that he is 

 doing what a sovereign of these dominions should undertake however far off he 

 may have gone, there was no one in this country who looked forward to his 

 safe return more than they did, and who would say with more heartfelt feeling, 

 "God save the King." (Cheers.) 



Mr. James Kennedy (Doonholm, Ayr), in seconding the resolution, wished 

 to associate himself with all that his Grace had said in proposing it. He 

 thought it was due to His Majesty that Members of the Society should accord 

 him their heartiest thanks for being President that year, and it was due to him 

 from agriculturists, whether in Scotland or in England. In Scotland they 

 appreciated very highly the fact that not only he, but his predecessor, had 



