8 4 



date of his August speech, Lord Ribblesdale 

 had made use of them to influence the 

 Government in the desired direction ; for 

 the speech appeared to be framed solely 

 for the purpose of affording Lord Salisbury 

 opportunity to declare the intentions of his 

 Government. 



In brief, the Premier announced that it 

 was proposed to devote the money theretofore 

 given as Queen's Plates to breeding ; that this 

 sum, ,3,000 a year, would be made up to 

 5,000 by a small addition to the Estimates ; 

 and that it was proposed to assign the duty 

 of administering the fund to an independent 

 Trust. The Royal Commission on Horse 

 Breeding was appointed, consisting of the 

 Duke of Portland, the Earl of Coventry, 

 Lord Ribblesdale, Mr. Chaplin, M.P., Mr. 

 F. G. Ravenhill, Mr. John Gilmour, Sir 

 Jacob Wilson and Mr. Bowen Jones ; and, 

 acting in concert with the Royal Agricultural 

 Society, the Commissioners, in December, 

 1887, issued their first Report. 



This document stated that only in recent 

 years had any further necessity arisen 

 to encourage breeding apart from private 

 enterprise ; the scarcity of horses was due, 

 in their opinion, to the creation of large 

 breeding studs by foreign Governments, who 



