Reforis of Committees. 
clxix 
finding the larger proportion of the 
fund, would find the money for the 
whole. If the Society were held re- 
sponsible for that part of the country 
in which they held their Show, the 
Government and the Treasury were 
equally responsible for the whole : 
and, as long as they did not make 
the Treasur)' f«el that they were 
responsible, the onus would be thrown 
upon the Society. Theie was besides 
a technical objection on the present 
occasion ; but, whatever course might 
be adopted, he trusted that it would 
not form a precedent for the future. 
Mr. GiLBEY pointed out that in 
former years, before the present sys- 
tem of giving premiums was started, 
the Society used often to give prizes 
of substantial amounts at its annual 
Meetings for thoroughbred stallions. 
Everyone connected with the Society, 
and the writers of all the official 
reports, had condemned the old sys- 
tem as more or less waste of mone)'. 
As they did not now give prizes for 
thoroughbred horses at their summer 
Shows, the sum of 600Z., which they 
were now asked to vote, was not all 
an additional expense to the Society. 
The President said he should be 
sorry if the grant were not made. 
At the same time he recognised the 
force of the objection raised in regard 
to the bye-laws, and he thought that 
if the vote were passed that day, it 
should be upon the strict understand- 
ing that the bye-laws should be ob- 
served in the future. 
After some further discussion, a 
motion by Sir Jacob .Wilson (se- 
conded by the Earl of Coventry) 
for the suspension of Bye-law 41, was 
carried, and Lord Coventry's motion 
for the grant of 600Z. was passed nevi. 
dis. 
Hoase. 
Sir Nigel Kingscote (Chairman) 
reported that during the recess the 
cleaning of the general offices and 
various other repairs of the building 
sanctioned by the Council had been 
completed to the satisfaction of the 
Surveyor. Various accounts for re- 
pairs and office requirements had 
been submitted and passed. 
Journal. 
Earl Cathcart (Chairman) re- 
ported that Part III. of Vol. II. (third 
series) of the Journal had been 
published on September 30, and duly 
issued to the members. The Com- 
mittee recommended the payment of 
various amounts in respect of literary 
contributions to and the printing of 
this number. The Secretary had 
reported the issue during the recess 
(1) of the reprint as a sixpenny 
pamphlet of Blr. Whitehead's paper 
in the June Journal on "Methods of 
Preventing and Checking the Attacks 
of Insects and Fungi," and (2) of a 
second edition of Prof. Brown's pam- 
phlet on " The Structure of the 
Horse's Foot." Various works on 
agriculture which had been purchased 
for the Library during the recess 
were laid upon the table. The Com- 
mittee reported that twenty-six 
entries had been received for the 
farm prizes offered by the Warwick 
Local Committee. They recommended 
that two Judges be appointed to 
award the prizes, and that two visits 
of inspection be made : one about 
January-, and the other shortly before 
the Show. The Committee had con- 
sidered the proposed articles to apj: ear 
in the next number of the Journal, 
and had given directions thereon. A 
suggestion by Mr. Frank Proctor, 
C.E., for a paper on Steam Digging 
had not been adopted. 
Chemical. 
Mr. R. A. Warren reported that 
Dr. J. W. Leather had tendered his 
resignation of the post of Senior 
Assistant in the Laboratory, conse- 
quent upon his election to the 
Professorship of Chemistry in the 
Harris Institute, Preston. The Com- 
mittee had accepted with regret Dr. 
Leather's resignation, and expressed 
to him their appreciation of the 
services that he had rendered the 
Society during the last five years. 
The Council were aware that an 
action had for some time been 
pending, in which Mr. James Snow- 
sell sued the Society for damages in 
respect of a report presented by the 
Chemical Committee on July 30, 1890, 
and published in the Society's Journal. 
The case came on for trial on Friday 
last, October 30, and was withdrawn 
on the terms stated by Counsel. An 
account of the proceedings was laid 
before the Council, and the Committee 
recommended that it be printed as a 
separate report (see page 820). 
