84 
date of his August speech, Lord Ribblesdale 
had made use of them to influence the 
Government in the desired direction; for 
the speech appeared to be framed solely 
for the purpose of affording Lord Salisbury 
opportunity to declare the intentions of his 
Government. 
In brief, the Premier announced that it 
was proposed to devote the money theretofore 
given as Queen’s Plates to breeding ; that this 
sum, £3,000 a year, would be made up to 
45,000 by a small addition to the Estimates ; 
and that it was proposed to assign the duty 
of administering the fund to an independent 
Trust. The Royal Commission on Horse 
Breeding was appointed, consisting of the 
Duke of Portland, the Earl of Coventry, 
Lord Ribblesdale, Mr. Chaplin, M.P., Mr. 
F. G. Ravenhill, Mr. John Gilmour, Sir 
Jacob Wilson and Mr. Bowen Jones; and, 
acting in concert with the Royal Agricultural 
Society, the Commissioners, in December, 
1887, issued their first Report. 
This document stated that only in recent 
years had any further necessity arisen 
to encourage breeding apart from private 
enterprise ; the scarcity of horses was due, 
in their opinion, to the creation of large 
breeding studs by foreign Governments, who 
