XXIV. Proceedings pf ihe Society, h 



exciie ihe greatest alarms for ihe agricultural prospects of the 



Colony. 



» TheAgri' uUuralCommilteeofibeSoiiety.underiheinfluence 

 of such grave apprthensions, iboughl il llieir dn'y to investi- 

 gate the suhjeci ironiediate'y, and to arrive at sonic; foncl.iision 

 with the shortest possible delay on soiniporint n matter. 



» Thiy therefore hastened to alldres^ to the Planters of the 

 Island, a Circular containing a series of questions relating to 

 the existence, nature and p; ogress of the aialady on the planta- 

 tions of each sugar- slate. 



» The Comaiit'ee, once possessed of ihis information, 

 drew up a Beport whih they (.ulmiited to the Society's ("oun- 

 cil of Administration, ;iridihtvhi(h ih-^y lucidly detail Ihe slate 

 of Ihe disease ip general, desciibe its symptoms, its presence in 

 such and su< h a dis rict, ;>nA on such "nd such .in e^^tVite. The 

 Comuaillee, at the sunie time, made known thu dilferent opi- 

 nions of the Planters on tliC cause to wliith ib y ascrlhe iha 

 disease, the wty in which those gentlemen cousicier its effects, 

 the means which some of them had used to check its progress, 

 as well as those the Committee ih -mselves proposed. 



» The Committee close this ioterpsting work, by expressing a 

 wish that the Council of tfee Socieiy v\ouid be please! to reiom- 

 mend to His Excellency the Cover'nor, to appoint a (lommis ion 

 of competent persons, to ex;imine in de'ail the facts ini^icated 

 in their Report, the ch^tracter and progress of ihe malady, to 

 pronounce how far the prosperi y of the Colony might be 

 threatened by the fact of its extension, and to insist upon the 

 necessity of adopting some measures for the purpose of checking 

 its progress. 



» The Report of the Agriculuiral Committee was, in conse- 

 quence, recommended by the Council of the Socie y to the serious 

 attention of the Governor, who laid il before ihe Legislative 

 Council at Governmeitt House, at the silling of the 9th October 

 1848. 



