107 
County Councillor BucHANAN, Penicuik, in reply, said that their visit to 
Hattield had very appropriately rounded off the Excursion of the Society to 
the South. They had learnt much from what they had seen since they 
crossed the Border last Monday, and they would carry back with them 
many useful ideas and pleasant recollections of their excursion to the South 
of England. 
Mr Dunn proposed the toast of the Marquis of Salisbury. It was a toast, 
he said, which was welcomed by the English-speaking race all over the 
world; but standing as they did then in the noble domain of Hatfield, he was 
sure they would receive it with increased enthusiasm. They were under the 
deepest obligations to the Marquis of Salisbury for granting them the great 
privilege of seeing over his splendid domain, of viewing the historic old 
palace, the grand old trees, the ancient and most interesting vineyard, and 
the magnificent park ; and not less for his hospitality in so kindly enter- 
taining the Society, as he had done that day, to luncheon. In the name 
of the Society, he begged to return their thanks to the noble Marquis, and he 
asked them to toast his lordship’s health with the utmost enthusiasm. 
The call was most heartily responded to, cheers being also given for the 
Marchioness of Salisbury and for Lord and Lady Cranbourne, 
Mr James WATT, J.P., proposed the health of Mr Miller, remarking as he 
did so, that he was glad to see a Scotsman managing such a fine estate. But 
he knew that they recognised neither Scotsmen nor Englishmen as such at 
Hatfield, and that throughout all grades of the service upon the estate the 
utmost harmony reigned. In no other way could they have attained to such 
splendid results as they had seen that day. 
Mr Kay, Rothesay, proposed the health of Mr Barton, and complimented 
the Marquis’s chief forester on the admirable state in which all the woodlands 
were found. 
Mr MILtEr and Mr Barron responded in a few appropriate words. 
This being the last occasion on which the members would meet together in 
a collective capacity, Mr Couuins, forester to the Duke of Sutherland at 
Trentham, Staffordshire, proposed a vote of thanks to Mr Dunn, Dalkeith, 
for all the trouble he had taken to make the Excursion a success. 
Mr Dunvy, in reply, said he was more than repaid if his exertions had in 
any way contributed to the success of the splendid Excursion which the 
Members of the Society had so much enjoyed. 
After lunch, a visit was made to the Town-bottom Wood, where 
were several very fine elms, one of which, a noble tree, was 
126 feet high, and 21 feet 4 inches in girth. It had a 
clean bole of 23 feet to the first branch, and it was estimated 
to contain about 900 cubic feet of timber. It was considered 
by many that this elm was the biggest tree of the kind they 
had ever seen. The “Elephant” Oak in this locality has a 
bole 26 feet in girth at 5 feet up, and there were many other 
old rugged oaks on this part of the grounds. One of these, a 
pollarded oak, measured 27 feet round at 3 feet up, and 29 feet at 
