TIMEHRI: 
THE JOURNAL OF 
THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL AND COMMERCIAL SOCIETY 
OF BRITISH GUIANA. 
Vor 1. " \NU ARY, 19. No. 1. 
FOREWORD. 
THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL AND COMMERCIAL SOCIETY 
OF BRITISH GUIANA. 
For the credit of my own much abused profession I am glad to say that it 
is to a former Clerk of the Court, a learned and public-spirited Scotsman, Mr. 
W. H. Campbell, LL.D. (Writer to the Signet), that we owe the foundation of this 
Society. Mr. Campbell had been instrumental in the formation of the Botanical 
Society of Edinburgh of which he was secretary for four years and shortly after 
his arrival in this colony he brought together a number of gentlemen interested 
in the welfare of the colony for the purpose of forming an association with more 
varied objects but with similar rules. The original draft of the ‘“ Proposed 
Laws ” is in the Society's possession and is in his handwriting. The preliminary 
meeting was held in the Old Court House, Georgetown, on Monday, 18th March, 
1844, at two o'clock in the afternoon. The Governor, Mr. Henry Light, was 
nominated Patron, and a committee was instituted which has since been replaced 
by a Board of Directors. The first general meeting took place on the 12th of 
April, 1844, when the first election of officers resulted in the choice of the Hon. Sir 
Michael MeTurk (the leading planter and unofficial member of the Court) as 
President and of Mr. W. H. Campbell as Secretary. The Old Colonial Hospital 
building was secured astemporary premises and a Reading Room and the nucleus 
of a Library and Museum were soon created. Liberal donations were made by 
successive Governors and by leading citizens for these purposes. 
Queen Victoria was graciously pleased to become Patroness and both King 
Edward VII. and his present Majesty, King George V., in succession have 
honoured the Society by accepting the title of Patron. It received formal incor- 
poration by Ordinance 21 of 1853re-enacted and amended by Ordinance? of 1866, 
its present charter. The declared objects of the Society are the improvement and 
encouragement of the agriculture of the colony and of every branch of industry 
whereby the-resources of the colony are likely to be developed and increased and 
also the collecting and disseminating of useful information on such subjects. 
