Ceylon Agricultural Society. 



ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. 



REFERENCE TO HIS LATE MAJESTY KING EDWARD VII. 



The annual general meeting of the 

 Ceylon Agricultural Society was held at 

 noon on June 8th at the Council 

 Chamber. H, E. Sir Henry McCallum 

 presided, and the others present were : — 

 The Hon. Mr. H. L. Crawford, c.m.g,, 

 the Hon. Mr. VV. H, Jackson, the Hon. 

 Mr. C. T. D. Vigors the Hon. Mr. P. 

 Arunachalam, the Hon. Mr. S. C. Obeye- 

 sekere, Captain E. M. Slaughter, Extra 

 A. D. C, Messrs. P. D. Warren, R. B. 

 Strickland, W. D. Gibbon, G. W. Stur- 

 gess, E. E. Green, E. Cowan, A.. Harbord, 

 Dr. J. C. Willis, Dr. H. M. Fernando, 

 Messrs. Jas. Peiris, F. L. Daniel, Alex. 

 Bruce, A. E. Rajapakse, A. P. Goona- 

 tilleke, Tudor Rajapakse, W. A. de 

 Silva, C. Drieberg (Secretary), and 

 a few visitors. 



A Vote of Condolence. 

 Before the business on the agenda was 

 taken up, His Excellency— all the 

 members standing — said :— Gentlemen' 

 since we last met a terrible calamity has 

 befallen the nation. Suddenly, without 

 warning, the Angel of Death swept 

 down, and has taken unto himself our 

 most beloved Sovereign, King Edward 

 VII. It is a blow not only to us per- 

 sonally and collectively in Ceylon, but a 

 tremendous one to the whole nation ; and 

 in sustaining this blow, I am sure I am 

 voicing the feelings of this Society when 

 I say that our deepest sympathy goes 

 forth to those who were near and dear 

 to him, and whom he has left behind 

 him. I think, therefere, before we pro- 

 ceed with the ordinary business of the 

 day, that we should at once, at this our 

 first meeting since his demise, in a brief 

 resolution, put on record our feel- 

 ings concerning the calamity I have 

 referred to and our sympathy with the 

 Royal Family. I, therefore, will ask 



you in solemn silence to assent to the 

 following resolution which I have pre- 

 pared for your acceptance : — 



" That it is with feelings of the deepest 

 sorrow that this Society has heard of 

 the sudden demise of their well-beloved 

 Sovereign King Edward VII. Whilst 

 bowing to the inscrutable decree of 

 Divine Providence, the Society submis- 

 sively desires to record its keen sense 

 of the terrible loss which the nation has 

 sustained by the early passing away 

 of its sagacious, powerful and far-seeing 

 monarch, the protector and lover of 

 his people. With fervent loyalty the 

 Society humbly begs that an expression 

 of the profound sympathy which it feels 

 in their deep affliction may be conveyed 

 to Their Majesties the King and Queen, 

 to the Queen-Mother and the members 

 of the Royal Family." 



H. E.'s Tribute to Ceylon's Loyal 

 Sympathy. 



After a moment's silence, His Excel- 

 lency continued : — Gentlemen, you have 

 accepted the resolution. I may say that 

 I feel glad of this first public opportunity 

 I have had to say how deeply impressed 

 I have been with the sincere sorrow and 

 fervent loyalty which have been mani- 

 fested throughout the length and 

 breadth of Ceylon in connection with 

 the death of our late Sovereign, From 

 high and low, rich and poor, from village, 

 hamlet and Societies — practically from 

 everybody — the Governor has received 

 most eloquent testimony of the intense 

 feeling which this sad event has brought 

 about. These expressions of regret and 

 loyalty are being collected in a volume 

 and will be forwarded in due course, 

 together with memorials of all sorts and 

 descriptions, to be laid before Their 

 Majesties, as soon as all the resolutions, 

 such as the one you have just passed, 

 have been handed in. 



