The Foundation of the Royal Agricultural Society. 17 
of Richmond) announced that it had been determined to publish 
a Journal of the Society's proceedings. The management of 
the Journal (the first number of which appeared in the following 
April) was entrusted to a committee ; but its editorial control 
was vested in Mr. Philip Pusey, M.P., who for many years, 
until his death in 1855, was unsparing in his devotion to this 
most important department of the Society's operations. 
The interval between this General Meeting and the next was 
mainly occupied in preparations for the forthcoming Meeting at 
Oxford, which was looked forward to with the greatest interest. 
The Duke of Wellington was invited to accept the Presidency on 
the termination of Lord Spencer's year of office ; but his Grace 
declined on the ground that he was not practically engaged in 
agriculture, 1 and the Duke cf Richmond was thereupon nomi- 
nated as Lord Spencer's successor. Amongst minor matters for 
consideration were the Society's medal and the Society's motto. 
The former was entrusted to the celebrated Mr. AVilliam Wyon, 
R.A., whose designs were criticised and ultimately approved ; the 
latter was the subject of much discussion. Various suggestions 
were made, but the question appears to have been referred to 
the judgment of Lord Spencer, and on March 27, 1839, the 
motto i: Practice with Science," embodying the main principle 
on which his Lordship desired that the Society should be based, 
was resolved upon. 
At the first Annual General Meetiug, held on May 22, 1839, 
Lord Spencer was able to congratulate the Society on the fact 
that no fewer than 1,100 persons had enrolled themselves as 
members, whilst the capital invested had been increased to 
3,000/., and there was a balance of 1,196/. in the hands of then- 
bankers. The annual income from subscriptions and dividends 
amounted to 1,6632., but his Lordship urged the necessity of in- 
creasing this to at least 2.000/. a year, in order to carry out their 
objects. The Committee suggested the following as some of the 
heads under which the future labours of the Societv mio-ht be 
conveniently grouped : — 1. Classification of Soils ; 2. Permanent 
Improvement of Soils ; 3. Productiveness of Seeds ; 4. Manure ; 
5. Potation of Crops; G. Stock; 7. Mechanics of Agriculture; 
8. Diseases of Cattle and Plants ; 9. Grass Farms ; 10. Phvsi- 
ology of Agriculture. 
It is clear, however, that the energies of the Society at this 
stage of its career were mainly devoted to the preparations for 
the historic Oxford Meeting of 1839 : a meeting so interesting 
1 The Duke, nevertheless, manifested in various ways his interest in the 
Society's proceedings, and was occasionally seen at the weekly meetings held 
in its earlier years. 
VOL. t. T. S. — 1 C 
