332 
The French Peasant- Farmers Seed Fund. 
the conveyance of troops. Mr. James Odams, however, was not 
only indefatigable in his efforts to charter suitable steamboats for the 
conveyance of the grain to the French ports of landing (Boulogne, 
Honfleur, and St. Aazaire), but he placed Plaistow wbarf gratui- 
tously at the command of the Committee for the reception of the 
donations and purchases, amounting to several thousand (juarters 
of grain. Thanks to him, the shipping department was most satis- 
factorily conducted, and the grain sent to France without delay. 
On the other side of the Channel the difficulties were very great ; 
but at Boulogne the local Committee of the Sick and Wounded 
Fund, who also acted for the Seed Fund, induced the Northern 
Railwav of France to enter into the spirit of our enterprise so 
thoroughly that they not only carried our consignments free of 
charge, but gave them precedence over all merchandise. Months 
afterwards, the wharves and stations at Boulogne and Calais were 
encumbered Avith bales and sacks that had been waiting their 
turn ever since the termination of the war ; meanwhile, the seed 
sent by the Fund for the most part arrived in time for spring 
sowing, and the comparatively small quantity that arrived too 
late was sold for grinding, at remunerative prices. This result 
was in great measure due to the exertions of the Chairman of 
the Boulogne Committee, Sir Vincent Eyre, and the Secretary, 
Mons. V. J. \aillant, aided by the generous co-operation of 
General von Goeben, the Commander-in-Chief of the German 
Forces in the North of France. 
It may be considered paradoxical to state that one of the 
greatest difficulties experienced by the Committee was brought 
about by the success of their own operations ; but so great was the 
want of seed-wheat in France, and so difficult was the question 
of transport into the occupied region, that the Committee were 
flooded with applications either to purchase on account of 
French cultivators outside their definition of a peasant-farmer, 
or to sell them wheat at a reduced price. In fact, such applica- 
tions coming in every conceivable form, backed by the recom- 
mendations of the most influential men, made it very difficult at 
times to say an emphatic " No " to the entreaties of' our most 
respected friends ; but the Committee firmly though reluctantly 
resolved that it would be inexpedient to allow a charitable fund 
to degenerate into a trading company under any guise whatever. 
Spring Distribution. 
As will have been understood, the answers obtained to the 
schedule of questions as to the agricultural rec[uirements of 
the peasant-fanners, not only showed the extreme want of seed- 
corn, but exhibited a surprising demand for spring-wheat. 
