Sir Walter Gilbey, Bart. ' 141 



assemblage reached dimensions which compelled a change, and 

 Regent's Park was chosen as affording the required space. It 

 had also the advantage of being at the founder's door, and 

 Cambridge House received guests from all quarters of the 

 world at the luncheon on Whit Monday. 



In 1880 he lent valuable aid in organising the Hunters' 

 Improvement Society. This was a scheme after his own heart. 

 Hap-hazard breeding which left results to chance was anathema 

 to him, and he devised a scheme which should afford owners 

 of mares the opportunity of obtaining the services of good 

 stallions. The premium system, whereby selected thorough- 

 bred sires were made available at low fees to tenant farmers, 

 bore such good fruit that the method was adopted by the 

 Royal Agricultural Society and l)y the Royal Commission on 

 Horse-Breeding. 



He was twice President of these three societies ; of the 

 Shire in 1883 and 1897 ; of the Hackney in 1889 and 1904 ; of 

 the Hunters' Improvement in 1889 and 1904. The 'eighties 

 and 'nineties were perhaps the busiest decades of his life. He 

 was still Chairman of the great business at the Pantheon, bear- 

 ing active part in its affairs, and he filled an increasing place in 

 the public eye as one of the foremost men in the agricultural 

 world. He became Member of the Council of the Farmers' 

 Club in 1885, a Governor of the Royal Veterinary College in 

 1886, President of the Smithfield Club, of which he had long 

 been a member, in 189(5, and President of the Polo and Riding 

 Pony Society in the same year. His last office of the kind was 

 that of President of the Shetland Pony Society, to which he 

 was elected in 19()3. 



His connection with the " Royal " dated from 1870, when 

 he became a member, and as was his invariable wont, an active 

 one. In 1881 he was elected a Member of Council, a Vice- 

 President in 1889, a Trustee in 1895, and in 1896 he was 

 President of the Society on the occasion of the Leicester Show. 

 In 1889 he became a Governor of the Society, and was 

 elected Chairman of the Show Committee, an office which 

 involved large responsibility in organising the Jubilee Show at 

 Windsor. 



In the years 1892-4 Sir Walter took a great interest in the 

 acquisition, of Harewood House for the Offices of the Society. 

 In conjunction with the late Duke of Westminster, he was 

 responsible for the purchase of the whole of the Harewood 

 House site, and made such a disposition of the premises as to 

 enable the Society to acquire the house, which had been altered 

 in various directions, and furnished throughout, to meet their 

 requirements, for a sum of 37,000^., which amount was raised 

 by the issue of Debenture Stock. 



