19 



A remit had been made to him and Colonel Bailey at a recent 

 special meeting of the Council, and, in accordance with it, a Draft 

 Memorial, to be presented to the Board of Agriculture, had been 

 prepared by Colonel Bailey and sent to him, and it would be 

 submitted to the Council for approval. 



Excursions. 



Mr D. P. Laird, Convener of the Excursion Committee, 

 mentioned that about eighty-five members had intimated their 

 intention of taking part in the forthcoming Excursion to Ulster. 

 He also read a letter from Mr A. D. Page, Culzean, local secretary 

 for the district, outlining a tour in Ayrshire for next year, which 

 was remitted to the Council. 



Damage by Sparks from Railway Engines. 



The Secretary mentioned that a short Bill, backed by several 

 private Members of Parliament, had been introduced into the 

 House of Commons with the object of placing railway engines on 

 an equal footing with road locomotives as regards liability to pay 

 compensation for damage to crops, woods, etc., from fire caused 

 by the emission of sparks j and that, with the view of supporting 

 the Bill and supplying information to the Presidents of the 

 Boards of Agriculture and of Trade, who had expressed their 

 willingness to receive it, the Council had sent a circular to all 

 the Members of the Society, and others, inviting them to send 

 particulars regarding all fires caused by railway engines which 

 to their knowledge had occurred in recent years, but for which 

 no compensation had been received. A considerable number of 

 replies had been received, and it was proposed that a digest of 

 these should be prepared for publication in the Transactions, and 

 for transmission to the Boards of Agriculture and of Trade. 



Library and Museum. 



The Secretary roported that the following publications had 

 been received since the Annual Meeting in January : — 



List of Presentations to the Society's Library. 



1. The New Forestry. By John Simpson. 



2. Transactions of English Arboriculturai Society, vol. iv., 



part 2, 1899-1900. 



