616 
The late Sir B. T. Brandreth Gibbs. 
punctuality, and regularity, with which the multifarious details 
and interests involved in the annual Shows of the Society were 
regulated and administered by the Honorary Director, that he 
was ever wanting in courtesy to all, or in kindness to any in 
difficulty or perplexity. Both exhibitors and spectators for 
more than a quarter of a century would readily bear testimonv 
to the contrary of that, as well as to the very severe trials of 
patience and of temper, out of which the Honorary Director 
always came victoriously. The arrangements with the local 
authorities, the difficulties connected with the Showyard itself, 
the superintendence of the contract for the works, the separate 
interests of many hundreds of exhibitors in the two divisions of 
the Exhibition, the crowd of claimants on the attention at the 
commencement and the close of each INIeeting — all together made 
the office, which was held bv Mr. Brandreth Gibbs during the 
thirty years between the Liverpool and the Taunton ^leetings, 
one of great difficulty and anxiety. ]\Ir. Gibbs retired from 
it after the Bedford Meeting in 1874, receiving, as he well 
deserved, the formal and hearty thanks of the Society for his 
long and most efficient services. He had previously received 
the large Gold !Medal and thanks of the Society for under- 
taking with characteristic public spirit the Secretaryship during 
a temporary vacancy. His election to the ^ ice-Presidency 
followed. 
During the year 1843, which witnessed his appointment to 
the Honorary Directorship of the Showyard of the Royal Agri- 
cultural Society, ]Mr. Gibbs also became Honorary Secretary to 
the Smithfield Club, which up till 1839 had stood alone ia 
England as a national Society for the promotion and improve- 
ment of the live-stock of the farm. Arthur Young had been 
the first Honorary Secretary of the Club, and between 1806 and 
1836 a paid Secretaryship was held by the late Mr. John Farey 
and his son. During the seven following years the Honorary 
Secretaryship was held by Mr. Humphrey Gibbs (who after- 
wards took the maternal name of Brandreth), and for forty 
years afterwards the Honorary Secretaryship devolved upon his 
brother, the subject of this Memoir. These particulars are taken 
from a History of the Club, written by Sir Brandreth in 1857, 
and afterwards revised by him up to 1880. A most interesting 
record it is of long-continued public-spirited effort directed to 
most useful ends. His duties in this office have been latterly 
undertaken by Mr. Henry Hine, the present Secretary of the 
Club ; but he was always ready with cordial and efficient help 
on any emergency ; and he expressed to me the pleasure with 
which a few years ago, on Mr. Hine's temporary illness at the 
time of the Annual Show, he had resumed once more the 
