414 THE BREED IN THE SHOW- YARD. 



agricultural gatherings, both in England and abroad, I do 

 not remember anything more splendid and successful than 

 the great International Exhibition of 1856. It was held 

 beneath the glass roof of that marvellous palace of industry 

 erected in the most beautiful public gardens in the world, 

 those in the Champs Elysees. On that occasion the 

 Aberdeen or Angus breed appeared in all its excellence 

 and splendour. That great champion, the late Mr 

 M'Combie of Tillyfour, came forward with a lot of such 

 perfection, as that I doubt whether those he brought out 

 in the last International Exhibition in 1878 were of 

 equal merit. Certainly the last lot did not surpass the 

 former, and I well remember the laudatory and wondering 

 remarks of foreign visitors when passing round the stalls 

 where the stately masses of the polled cattle were drawn 

 in a black and imposing array, even and level, as if the 

 chisel of the sculptor had been plied over their grand 

 fleshy frames. It is sufficient to name the exhibitors to 

 give an idea of the excellent and complete representation 

 of the breed. In the front rank, as remarked above, was 

 Mr William M'Combie of Tillyfour. Then came Mr 

 Hugh Watson of Keillor ; the Earl of Southesk, Kinnaird 

 Castle ; Mr John Collier, Panlathie, Eorfarshire ; Mr 

 James Stewart, Aberdeen ; Mr Allan Pollok, Ireland ; 

 Mr Eobert Walker, Portlethen Mains, Aberdeen ; Mr K. 

 Wardlaw Ramsay ; Mr Thomas Carnegie of Craigo ; Mr 

 J. Anderson of Gillespie ; Mr James Beattie ; Sir George 

 Macpherson Grant, Bart., of Ballindalloch ; Lord Talbot de 

 Malahide ; the Executors of the late Mr Scott, Easter 

 Tulloch ; Mr A. Bowie, Mains of Kelly ; Mr John 

 Hutchison ; and last, but not least, His Grace the Duke 

 of Buccleuch, who showed some very fine Galloways." 



The muster of polled cattle, including a few Galloways, 

 at the 1856 Exhibition numbered no fewer than thirty- 

 nine animals thirteen males and twenty-six females. 

 In the bull class Mr M'Combie of Tillyfour won the first 



