Snoicsell v. !Z%e Royal Agncultural Society. 
821 
Ti-amcript from the shorthand notes of Messrs. UoJyes and Son, 87 
Chancery Lone, W.C. 
Mr. Cock, Q.C. — "NVill your Lordship allow rue to luention the next 
case ? 
Mr. Justice Wills. — Yes. 
Mr. Cock.— My Lord, that is an action which lias been brought 
against the Koyal" Agricultural Society of England by Mr. SnowseU for 
libel. I do not know whether your Lordship has seen the Record ? 
Mr. Justice Wills. — No. 
Mr. Cock.— Then, my Loi-d, I wish to state that I have had an oppor- 
tunity of consulting with Mr. Lockwood, who represents the Defendants, the 
Royal Agricultural Society, in this case, and if your Lordship will allow 
me to make a few statements on behalf of Mr. Suowsell, for whom I appear 
Avith regard to that case, I do not think it will be necessary to trouble your 
Lordsliip, or the Jury, any further with it. Perhaps it will be a convenient 
time to do so now, before another witness is called. 
Mr. JrsTici; Wills. — Yes. I think that is reasonable. You do not 
want the Jury sworn, I snppo.se? 
Mr. Cock.— Oh no, my Lord. We have arranged not to trouble the 
Jury. This is an action which is brouglit by Mr. Hnowsell, the Plaiutiti', 
■who carries on his business as The Cotswold Association for the supply of 
pure and unadulterated Artificial Manures and Feeding Stutl's," against the 
Royal Agricultural Society of England, in respect of certain correspondence 
which was published in a Report of the Agricultural Society, which Mr. 
Snowsell considered reflected upon him. It never has been his desire to 
make money out of this litigation, but he has desired to have an opportu- 
nity of stating publicly what his position is with regard to this matter. I 
have read the papers in this matter, and my friend Mr. Laii\Tence has read 
them also, and we entertain no doubt whatever that the course which was 
taken by the Royal Agricultural Society of England was taken by them 
with regard to the matters that were before them in accordance with what 
they considered their duty to the public and to the Members of that 
Society, and I do not desire to attribute the slightest blame to them, 
but on the other hand I must say I think they took a course which it 
was right they should take under the circumstances. But it is desirable 
that I should now, on behalf of Mr. Snowsell, make one or two state- 
ments in regard to the position in which he was placed and the matters 
wliich have arisen. Mr. Snowsell, as I have told your Lordship, was a 
seller of linseed-cake and other food for cattle. He was not a manufactm'er, 
but a person who dealt in it, and he supplied a certain quantity of this 
linseed-cake which he had purchased to a Mr. lies. Mr. lies had that 
linseed-cake analysed, and he was of opinion that it was not such a cake as 
ought to have been supplied to him under the description under which it 
had been supplied, viz., " pure linseed-cake," and he thereupon communicated 
to the Royal Agricultural Society the result of the analysis which he had 
had made of this cake, and a further analysis was made by another analyst, 
and that was also supphed to the Agricultural Society. The Royal Agri- 
cultural Society, finding that this cake had been on the market, thought 
it their duty to publish this analysis and a certain correspondence relating 
to it ; and, as I said just now, I do not blame them for taking that 
course. But the position Mr, Snowsell occupied in the matter was 
this: he had purchased this cake from the same firm who had supplied 
this cake for a great number of years. He had supplied it to his customers 
in the ordinary course of his business. When he first began to buy it, he 
bad had several analyses made for the purpose of ascertaining what the 
