360 HIGHLAND AND AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



tups and dinmonts, John Wilson, Crosshouse, RosHn, being 

 first for ewes, and John Archibald, Overshiels, for gimmers. 

 In Southdowns there were only two exhibitors, James 

 Aitchison of Alderston, and R. Scot Skirving, Camptoun, 

 the former of whom took the prizes in the classes in which 

 he exhibited. 



There was received for admission and for catalogues 

 a sum of ^1423 I2s. id. 



At the dinner which followed the show, and which was 

 held in the Corn Exchange, there were present about 400 

 gentlemen. The Duke of Argyll, President of the Society, 

 was in the chair, and the Earl of Haddington was croupier. 

 Among those present were the Duke of Buccleuch, Lord 

 Henry Kerr, Lord Dunglass, Sir George Douglas, the Earl 

 of Rosslyn, Lord Henry Scott, Mr Robertson of Ladykirk, 

 M.P., Sir W. Scott, M.P., Viscount Strathallan, Sir Graham 

 Montgomery, M.P., Sir John Marjoribanks, Lord Polwarth, 

 Sir Hugh Campbell, Sir Wm. Macarthur. The noble Presi- 

 dent, in proposing the prosperity of the Society, referred to 

 Mr Danvin's recently published work on the Origin of 

 Species, observing that there was no book which he had 

 ever read which contained more fertile principles for the 

 progress of agriculture. His Grace also referred with much 

 approval to a book which he said he had seen that morning. 

 It was a work written by a tenant farmer in Berwickshire, 

 Mr Wilson, Edington Mains, a book which he observed, 

 for clearness of arrangement, clearness of expression and 

 close adherence to and keeping in view great leading prin- 

 ciples, is a perfect model of a truly scientific treatise. The 

 Duke compared the phraseology used by the purely scien- 

 tific naturalist, writing in his own room, with the observations 

 made by Mr Wilson, founded on his practical experience 

 and observation, showing the almost identity of expression 

 of the two writers, though each looked at the subject from 

 a different point of view. 



In returning thanks for his health, the Duke said ' he 

 was afraid some of his ancestors were rather too fond of 

 coming south, and he had heard, though he did not believe 

 it, that they had a custom of taking cattle back to their own 



