THE EDINBURGH SOCIETY. 39 



improving the breed of saddle horses was won by John 

 Lumsdain, writer in Edinburgh, for his horse Sloe, and it 

 is conditioned that the horse be kept at Richard Vary's, 

 near Hope Park, Edinburgh, till 8th July. At the same 

 time prizes were awarded for salt butter and cow-milk 

 cheese. The prizes for feeding calves for slaughter w^ere 

 awarded, the first to John Hay, yr. of Hopes, who had fed 

 34 calves ; and the second to Anne Wade, Yester, who had 

 fed 23 calves, this being the first time that the number 

 of calves is stated. 



The year 1764 formed a crisis in the life of the two 

 Societies. There is evidence that the Select Society was 

 beginning to suffer from lack of interest in its proceedings, 

 the members probably becoming absorbed in other pur- 

 suits. There is more distinct acknowledgment that the 

 funds of the Edinburgh Society had become too slender 

 for the demands made upon them by the yearly premiums 

 offered. The Scots Magazine contains an intimation which 

 its conductors say ' must give pain to every lover of Scot- 

 land.' The intimation runs thus : — 



' The Edinburgh Society expected that the manifest utihty of their under* 

 taking would, of itself, have interested the public in its favour ; and, therefore, 

 they did not importunately solicit subscriptions. They now find that they have 

 been too sanguine in their expectations. The number of contributors, instead 

 of increasing, diminishes ; and many gentlemen who have not recalled their 

 subscriptions, do yet neglect to make their annual payment. 



' The great arrears due by subscribers might seem to confirm an observa- 

 tion which has been sometimes made, " That, in Scotland, eveiy disinterested 

 plan of public utility is slighted as soon as it loses the charm of novelty."' 



' Upon the faith of the sums actually subscribed, premiums have been 

 proposed and distributed : all subscribers, therefore, are most earnestly re- 

 quested to order payment of their arrears to Mr Anthony Barclay, Secretary to 

 the Society, at his house, the first door above Mr Brodie, wright, in the Lawn 

 Market, Edinburgh. 



' Meanwhile, the Edinburgh Society find themselves under the very dis- 

 agreeable necessity of proposing a smaller number of premiums for the year 

 1764 than they have been accustomed to propose in former years ; but such is 

 the present state of this national and useful institution that no other measures 

 could be followed.' 



The list of premiums is published in the Mercury of 

 the 1 8th April, and is reduced to eighty. Even this num- 

 ber appears to have been too great for the funds at the 



