EARLY ENGLISH IMPROVERS 79 



as cheap a form as possible" and that "the prints 

 be hereafter omitted." Eyton, like many another 

 pioneer before and since, disheartened by such 

 doubtful backing declined to proceed with the work, 

 and but for Mr. W. C. Powell of Hereford, who 

 stepped in at this juncture and bought the copyright, 

 publication would have been suspended for a time 

 at least. Mr. Powell published the first part of the 

 third volume in 1856, but died before the second part 

 was ready for press. 



Sold for a Song. — It does not seem to be specially 

 to the credit of the English Hereford breeders of 

 this period that on the 15th of July, 1857, the Here- 

 fordshire Agricultural Society should have voted to 

 pay the heirs of the deceased editor the munificent 

 sum of £10 (less than. $50 American money) for the 

 whole work as it then stood, and immediately there- 

 after voted that if Mr. Thomas Duckham of Bay- 

 sham Court should repay this amount to the society 

 and agree to publish the book annually, he might 

 have it and charge thereafter an entrance fee of one 

 shilling for each animal recorded. As Powell's 

 solicitor testified that the book had already cost the ' 

 deceased over £30, no account apparently ever hav- 

 ing been taken of poor Eyton 's weary wanderings 

 and long months of preparation, the organization 

 certainly drove a bargain 'sharp enough to satisfy 

 the thriftiest member. 



Mr. Duckham 's Valuable Service. — ^The society 

 not only thus recovered its £10 but it put the Here- 

 ford Herd Book into eminently competent hands. 



