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PANCIERS' JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 



of the exhibition, eliciting frequent inquiries as to " What 

 are these beautiful birds?" At this show, too, it is worthy 

 of record that every specimen, both on reception and dis- 

 patch, passed through Mr. Hewitt's own hands, he having 

 voluntarily undertaken this arduous duty, and, as is believed, 

 without injury or mistake of any kind. In after times his 

 interest in the old " mother " show continued unabated, and 

 he voluntarily undertook for a number of successive years 

 the sole supervision of the poultry shown, and of the feed- 

 ing department. The self-denial and real interest involved 

 by this may be imagined when we state that his residence 

 was no less than three miles from Bingley Hall, and that he 

 had to be " on duty " from before 6 a.m. till after the closing 

 time (then far too late) of 10 p.m. ; whilst the whole of the 

 last night was spent in repacking the poultry — a plan now 

 greatly improved, and the work much expedited by a division 

 of the labor. 



For many years during this period Mr. Hewitt was a tol- 

 erably constant and generally pretty successful exhibitor of 

 Rouen ducks, white-crested Black Polish White Cochins, 

 and some other breeds less constantly ; besides numerous 

 "oddities" and rarer pets occasionally sent by him merely 

 for public view. We may also mention specially a variety 

 of ducks now never seen, but at that date well recognized 

 among the few amateurs of the district as " Warwick Blues," 

 as bred and successfully exhibited by him at this time. They 

 were, Mr. Hewitt has informed us, exactly of the color of 

 Andalusians throughout the whole plumage, without ever 

 sporting a white feather ; were extraordinarily weighty birds, 

 and quite equal to the Kouen in flavor ; hence it is matter for 

 regret they were lost, and if any can yet be found, it would 

 be well to cultivate them again. They appear to have be- 

 come superseded, through no special prizes being given them, 

 though they often won in general competition ; at that time, 

 also, when less interest was taken in poultry generally, it 

 was much easier to lose a variety than it would be now. 



It was on November 19, 1852, at Hitchin, that Mr. Hewitt 

 first officiated as a poultry judge, in conjunction with Mr. 

 John Baily, who also is still alive. (We have often had oc- 

 casion to remark how many fanciers become old men : mark 

 this, you who sneer at us.) His official engagements soon 

 began to become both popular and general ; when, acting 

 under the advice of the same friend to whom he had been 

 years before indebted for the Sebright Bantams, he set an 

 example which has had much to do with the implicit confi- 

 dence reposed in him, by selling or otherwise disposing of all 

 his poultry, except a few Sebrights, kept merely as pets ; 

 from which time he has entirely refrained from exhibiting, 

 either directly or indirectly, or from buying or selling ex- 

 hibition poultry of any description. By this means he has 

 avoided the suspicion of corrupt motives ; and has been 

 equally careful to avoid every appearance of party feeling, 

 several instances having occurred in which he has judged for 

 rival committees in the same town with satisfaction to both 

 parties, but always urging upon each that " combination 

 would ensure a good show, while division meant failure " — 

 advice not entirely unneeded even now. With the same 

 anxiety to avoid even the "appearance " of evil, it is worth 

 remark that when first generally requested to judge at Bir- 

 mingham, he resigned his position on the council of that 

 show, in order to avoid either possibility or suspicion of any 

 private knowledge as to the birds before commencing his 

 task; and when, without his knowledge, the "Poultry Club," 

 as it was called, published his name at the head of their list 



of judges, he at once published a letter in The Journal of 

 Horticulture, intimating his readiness to judge for all ex- 

 hibitions alike, but entirely declining any such appointment, 

 on the ground that it might bear the aspect of partisanship. 



That Mr. Hewitt has judged without fee or reward is wel! 

 known to most of our readers. It was not, however, thought 

 that such long and valued services should go entirely unac- 

 knowledged, even if unrewarded; and in August, 1867, it 

 was proposed that a testimonial should be raised by subscrip- 

 tion as some testimony to the estimation in which his efforts 

 were held. There was no canvassing, publicity through the 

 usual channels being the only means employed ; but in a 

 very few months the sum of £400, to which was afterwards 

 added more than £100 of later subscriptions, was raised, 

 which was publicly presented to him at Hull, on May 12th, 

 1868, with an appropriate illuminated address and valuable 

 gold chronometer, Mr. James Fletcher speaking in behalf of 

 the committee. 



As many of our readers are aware, Mr. Hewitt has for 

 many months past been in a great degree disabled from judg- 

 ing by the after effects of an accident on his way to the Crystal 

 Palace Poultry Show of 1872. On that occasion he caught 

 his foot in- a stair and injured it most seriously, though the 

 effects might probably hjve passed off had he retired at once 

 to rest. Unwilling, however, to disappoint the committee, 

 he judged his share of that show, though in severe pain ; and 

 the result was an extent of injury and shock to the system 

 which, followed as it was by severe domestic trial — into 

 which we have no right to enter — has never been really re- 

 covered from. Now and again he has made his appearance, 

 but has been as often obliged again to retire ; and how diffi- 

 cult it is to supply his place we need not say. It is, how- 

 ever, hoped that the ensuing season may see him at his old 

 work again, with somewhat better prospects than before ; and 

 we are assured that the consciousness of the thorough sym- 

 pathy and earnest good wishes of those he has so long served 

 are a great source of comfort and satisfaction to him during 

 his forced retirement. 



The portrait which accompanies these brief notes is taken 

 from a photograph, for which he sat so recently as his last 

 birthday, by Mr. Hewitt's kind permission. — Fanciers' 

 Gazette. 



(For Fanciers' Journal.) 



THE PROPOSED NEW CONVENTION. 



Before commencing the articles which I design to write 

 on the Buffalo Convention and the " new standard," I would 

 say that, like G. P. Burnham, " I have no axe to grind." 

 I do not write in favor of the new standard because of any 

 influence that I may have had in making it what it is, for I 

 had very little to do with it, nor do I have personal or busi- 

 ness relations with the prominent men of the Convention, 

 or of the National Association, which influence me to speak 

 in their favor. I write only in the interest of truth and 

 justice, and would not willingly do the least injustice to any 

 one who has written, or who may yet write, upon this sub- 

 ject. 



G. P. Burnham and others, in recent numbers of the 

 Journal, propose calling a new Convention to further revise 

 the standard. 



This proposition is so unwise and ill-timed that I do not 

 believe it will meet the approval of any number of fair- 

 minded thinking men who are interested in poultry breeding. 



The Buffalo Convention was called by the National Asso- 



N 



