1 



English Agricultural Society. 



to the Society^ that ten prizes had also been offered for essays to 

 be read before that meeting. On this point, as the award of the 

 judges is not yet known, it can only be stated that there are claim- 

 ants for all those prizes, and that there is competition for nine. 

 Your Committee cannot leave this subject without adverting to 

 the fact, that the active Local Committee, which has been for some 

 time engaged in making the necessary arrangements for the meet- 

 ing, has received the most obliging encouragement from the 

 highest authorities both of the University and City of Oxford. 



It has been already made known to you that communications 

 have been opened with the agricultural societies of Paris, Lyons, 

 Lille, and Geneva. We have now to add those of Thoulouse 

 and Bordeaux abroad, and the Entomological, Horticultural, and 

 Statistical Societies at home. 



It being extremely desirable that, according to the practice of 

 other societies, we should form a Library of reference open to our 

 members, application has been in the first instance made to the 

 Treasury for the use of those books which formerly belonged to 

 the late Board of Agriculture, and the loan of these has been 

 accorded us. 



A request has been further addressed to the same quarter, that 

 the Director of the Ordnance Geological Survey, Mr. De La Beche, 

 who, among other objects, is in that capacity collecting specimens 

 of the various soils and subsoils of England, might be permitted 

 to supply the Society with duplicate specimens to be deposited in 

 our iSluseum, on our undertaking to defray any expense that may 

 be thereby incurred ; and to this request, also, a favourable 

 answer has been received. 



In accordance, likewise, with the experience and practice of 

 other Societies, having for their object the promotion of any de- 

 partment of knowledge, it has been determined to publish from 

 time to time such communications of facts or such other sugges- 

 tions, authenticated by the names of the writers, as appear likely 

 to contribute to the progress of husbandly, and the first number 

 of our Journal was accordingly published in April last. 



