( 330 ) 



XIII. — Report on the Exhibition of Implements at the Northampton 

 Meeting, 1847. 



Mr. Parkes lias been for some years in the habit of drawing up 

 the Report of the annual exhibition, and the Stewards have, in 

 his unavoidable absence through illness, to crave the indulgence of 

 the Society for not being enabled to bring to the subject either 

 the ability or the knowledge which the consulting engineer has 

 invariably displayed in the construction of his reports. They 

 have determined therefore to rely upon the reports of the Judges 

 themselves as their groundwork, and merely to make such addi- 

 tions to, or alterations in, the description of the implements sub- 

 jected to trial as the very faulty certificates originally sent in, 

 and printed in the catalogues, imperatively demand. The 

 absence of Mr. Parkes, however, from the Northampton Meet- 

 ing is the more to be lamented, as not only was the number of 

 implements exhibited greater than at any previous show, but 

 mechanical improvements had evidently much advanced since 

 the last meeting at Newcastle. By a reference to the entries 

 which have been made annually in the Implement Department 

 since the formation of the Society, it will be found that at — 

 Oxford* they were . . . 23 

 Cambridge „ , , , 36 



Liverpool „ ... 312 



Bristol ,, . . . 455 



Derby „ ... 508 



Southampton „ ... 948 



Shrewsbury „ ... 942 



Newcastle „ ... 735 



Whilst at Northampton they amounted to . 1321 



A vast increase ! for which the Society is mainly indebted to the 

 liberality of the railroad companies, who transport to and from 

 the place of exhibition the animals and implements shown at its 

 annual meetings. The Council, in the absence of the consulting 

 engineer, gave full liberty to the Stewards to call in an engineer 

 in any cases of difficulty that might arise ; but this privilege was 

 not exercised. 



The extraordinary feature of the show was the number of port- 

 able steam-engines produced : heretofore there have never been 

 above two exhibited at any meeting ; but the Council having acted 



* The respective entries as given at Oxford and Cambridge do not in 

 any degree indicate the number of implements exhibited ; as the exhi- 

 bitor at these periods merely sent in a general certificate, and then for- 

 warded what implements he pleased, it being understood that the more he 

 sent the better. There were, however, at the two first meetings of the 

 Society but 23 and 36 exhibitors making entries, whilst at Northampton 

 there were 142. 



