THE SOUTHERN 



PLANTER 



363 



comfnissioner in each senatorial district of the 

 State, having his correspondents in each magis- 

 terial district to assist him in his labors. 



3. That the secretary of the Society be in- 

 structed to prepare such forms of report as will 

 secure uniformity in these returns and enable 

 him conveniently to throw into tabular or other 

 condensed shape so much thereof as in his opin- 

 ion will be useful and interesting to the farmers 

 of the State when published. 



4. That the returns of these commissioners 

 should be made quarterly. 



On motion of Mr. Branch, of Petersburg, it 

 was 



Resolved, That a committee of this body be 

 appointed to examine and report on the accounts 

 of the Treasurer and the condition of the funds 

 of the Society. 



Whereupon the speaker appointed the follow- 

 ing gentlemen a committee to carry into effect 

 the above resolution, viz : Thomas Branch, of 

 Petersburg, Corbin Warwick, of Richmond, and 

 George To\tnes, of Pittsylvania. 



On motion of Mr. Townes, the Assembly ad- 

 journed to meet again to-morrow morning at 9 

 o'clock. 



FRIDAY MORNING, Oct. 31, 1856. 



Agreeably to adjournment the Assembly met, 

 and was called to order by the Speaker. 



The resolutions of R. W. N. Nowland, laid 

 upon the table on yesterday, was on motion of 

 Mr. Ruffin, of Hanover, taken up, when, after 

 discussion, Mr. Nowland offered the following 

 resolutions as a substitute, which were adopted, 

 viz : 



Resolved, That the executive committee be in- 

 structed to consider, digest and put into practi- 

 cal operation such a plan as may seem to them 

 best suited to operate throughout Virginia for 

 collecting. and diffusing full and correct infor- 

 mation of the condition and estimate of both the 

 growing and unsold staple crops and the amount 

 of the preceding year's crop, together with such 

 other communications of a useful agricultural 

 character as may be obtained by some general 

 arrangement, whether of an organized body of 

 commissioners, resident in evei-y district of the 

 State, or otherwise. 



Resolved, That if in furtherance of this object 

 it shall be deemed necessary to have the aid of 

 the State commissioners of revenue to obtain 

 general statistical reports of actual agricultural 

 products, that the said committee shall further 

 consider to what extent and in what manner 

 such aid is desirable and easily practicable; 

 and shall take such steps to induce legislative 

 action thereupon as to them may seem proper. 



Hugh M. Nelson, of Clarke, presented " a pe- 

 tition from sundry members of the State Agri- 

 cultural Suciet}^, asking the Farmers' Assembly 

 to make s me arrangement with the raihxKid 

 companies for the transportation of stock, en- 

 tered for exhibition at the annual fairs, at cheap- 

 er rates and offered the following resolution : 



Resolved, That the executive committee Ijc in- 

 structed to apply to the Board of Public "W orks 

 to instruct the Directors of all the public works 

 in which the State is a stockholder, to allow all 

 stock and implements for exhibition at the State 

 Fair to pass free of charge over their roads. 



Mr. Edmund Ruffin, Jr., of Prince George, of- 

 fered the following as a substitute to the alaove: 



Resolved, That the executive committee be 'di- 

 rected to investigate the subject of freights 

 charged by railroad and transportation compa- 

 nies on articles and stock for exhibition, and 

 take such steps as may be deemed expedient to 

 reduce the charges when excessive to a reasona- 

 ble point ; when, after discussion, on the motion 

 of Mr. Bondurant, of Buckingham, the resolu- 

 tion and substitute were laid upon the table, 

 not to be taken up again this session. 



Mr. Townes, from the committee to examine 

 and " Report on the Accounts of the Treasurer 

 and the condition of the Funds of the Society," 

 presented and read the following report, viz : 



" The committee to whom the resolution of 

 the Farmers Assembly of Virginia was referred, 

 instructing them to ' examine and report on the 

 accounts of the Treasurer and the condition of 

 the funds of the xlgricultural Society,' have per- 

 formed that duty and now respectfully report — 

 That in their investigation they have confined 

 their enquires and examinations to the accounts 

 of the Treasurer subsequent to the Slst day of 

 October, 1855, for the following reasons : First, 

 because, up to that period his report and ac- 

 counts were submitted to the executive commit- 

 tee and a mass meeting of the Virginia Agricul- 

 tural Societ}^, and. as your committee believe, 

 approved. ' Secondly, because, two days after- 

 wards the amended constitution of the said So- 

 ciety was adopted, changing the principles or- 

 ganizing said Society so as to require the fiscal 

 year to terminate on the 30th day of September 

 of each year. The adoption of the amended 

 constitution by the Society without providing 

 means necessary to carry all its provisions into 

 immediate effect, induced the Treasurer to close 

 and balance his account for the last fiscal year 

 on the 27th October, 1856, to which period Ave 

 have confined our examinations. Up to that 

 dayj your committee ascertain there had been 

 regularly invested in the obligations of the city 

 of Richmond the sum of $45,250, which said 

 obligations are now in the possession of the said 

 Treasurer, That the amount of the contingent 

 fund in his hands subject to the order of the ex- 

 ecutive committee "is $5,2G1 43, subject to a de- 

 duction of $669 50, the amount of unpaid, and 

 as yet, unclaimevl premiums awarded by the said 

 Society at their several Fairs held in the years 

 1853, '4 and 5. Assuming that these premiums 

 will be generously relinquished by the persons 

 to Avhom they wove awarded, the balance of the 

 Contingent Fund will be as above stated, other- 

 wise that fund will be reduced to the sum of 

 $4,591 93. 



" Your committee are not informed of any 



