( 481 ) 
^XIII. — Report of the Proceedings in the Court of Exchequer in 
the case of Kidd v. the Royal Agricultural Society of Eng- 
land. Before Mr. Justice Blackburn and a Special Jury* 
Leeds Summer Assizes, August 7th, Sth, and 9th, 1872. 
[These proceedings arose in the following manner : — 
On March 6th the Chemical Committee presented to the Council their 
'.sual Quarterly Report on Manures and Feeding-stuffs, which had been sub- 
nitted to the Consulting Chemist for analysis since the previous December. 
This Eeport was pubUshed in the 'Mark Lane Express' for March 11th. 
One paragra^jh, which is repeatedly quoted in the following pages, then gave 
ise to the following actions : — 
Kidd versus The Eoyal Agricultural Society, 
Kidd versus Alger (publisher of the ' Mark Lane Express '), 
Ayre versus The Royal Agricultural Society, 
Ayre versus Alger, 
Ayre versus Jenkins (Secretary to the Eoyal Agricultural Society) ; 
he defence of all of which was undertaken by the Society, but 
Kidd versus The Royal Agricultural Society, and 
Ayre versus The Eoyal Agricultural Society were alone j)roceeded with. 
These actions, with another of Kidd versus The Yorkshire Conservative 
N'ewspaper Company (arising out of the publication of the same paragraph 
u the ' Yorkshire Post'), were set down for trial at the last Leeds Summer 
\ssizes, and the first of them was tried at Leeds on August 7th, 8th, and 
itl). The following Eeport of the Proceedings (taken from the shorthand 
lotes of Messrs. Martin and Meredith) was, on the recommendation of the 
lournal and Chemical Committees, ordered to be published in the Society's 
Journal by a Special Coimcil, held on August 21st, by order of the President 
jf the Society. — Edit.] 
1 1 FiBST Day. 
Counsel for the Plaintiff. — Mr. Setmodk, Q.C., and Mr. Cave (instructed by 
Messrs. Egberts and Leak of Hull.) 
''ounsel for the Defendards. — Mr. Field, Q.C, and Mr. Mellor (instructed 
by Messrs. Garrard and James of London.) 
,Mr. Cave opened the pleadings. 
TTie declaration stated " that the Plaintiff caiTied on the business of an oil 
md seed crusher, and the Defendants at divers times and on divers occasions 
alsely and maliciously printed and published of the Plaintiff, in relation 
.;o his said business, the words following, that is to say : — ' During the last 
jjuarter very few samples of artificial manure have been forwarded for analysis ; 
jf those sent to the consulting chemist he has no complaint to make. As 
usual at this season cases of so-called poisoning from the use of cakes have 
I * John Gowland, of Thorpe Uuderwoods, farmer ; John Foster Horsfall, of 
West Croft House, in Haworth, Esquire; Thomas Johnson Hughes, of Great 
jreorges-street, in Leeds, brassfounder ; Joe Illingworth, of Bramley-lane, Light- 
Jiffe, in Hipperholme-cum-Brighouse, merchant ; John Jackson, of Mowbray 
tJall, in Gruelthorpe, farmer ; Charles Johnson, of Bierley Hall, in North Bierley, 
*ine and spirit merchant; William Kelsall, of Coleridge-place, in Bradford, 
nerchant ; Joseph Richardson, of Ousegate, in Selby, draper and grocer ; George 
Shaw, of Bridge-street, in Sheffield, victualler ; James Shepherd, of Vale House, 
rodmorden, in Stansfield, manufacturer ; Edward Sutcliffe, of Roe Head, in 
Mirtield, corn miller; Benjamin Wood, of Claremont, in Warley, ironfouuder. 
VOL. VIII. — S. S. 2 I 
II 
