THE VACANT SECRETARYSHIP 



books can tell us something about its writer, and 

 in doing so incidentally illustrate the quaintness 

 as it appears now both of phraseology and 

 procedure characteristic of the period. 



The curious circumstance of a letter written 

 so long ago by one of my predecessors falling into 

 my hands, induced me to look up the circum- 

 stances under which Nehemiah held office, and they 

 are sufficiently amusing to be worth recording. 



On January 28th, 1800, Wm. Matthews, who 

 succeeded the founder of the Society (Edmond 

 Rack) as secretary, stated in a printed circular 

 to the members that ic personal considerations 

 of much importance to myself disposing me to 

 resign, though with reluctance, the office of 

 secretary, I am sanctioned by the under-written 

 vice-presidents in announcing the same." The 

 circular proceeded to call a general meeting to 

 select a new secretary, and concluded with a 

 comically-worded injunction to candidates for the 

 post, signed by three vice-presidents : William 

 Falconer, John Billingsley, and (Sir) Benjamin 

 Hobhouse. They were all men of note, the first- 

 named being an eminent physician and scientist 

 and a Fellow of the Royal Society, whose know- 

 ledge was varied and profound ; the second, the 

 author of A General View of the Agriculture of 

 Somerset and other works ; and the third a distin- 

 guished Parliamentarian, a voluminous writer, 

 and a good friend to agriculture, who acted as 

 President of the Society for a period of thirteen 

 years. His bust a beautiful work of art by 

 Chantrey, is to be seen at the Society's offices. 

 The injunction was as follows : 



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