Kidd V. Royal Agricultural Society of England. 635 
that there Tvas poison in the cake, and that the bensts had been poisoned by 
the administration of tliat poison. I deny entirely that that is the lair mean- 
ing of this article w hen you come to n-ad tliis jmrt of it as well as the other. 
That which is here called " so-called poisoninp," is a very different assertion 
indeed from absolute poisoning; it is, in trutli, almost drawing attention to 
that difference and distinction. In fact, they carefully abstain from affirm- 
ing that the illness arose from the administration of a i)oisonous cake. I ven- 
ture to think that you will be of opinion that that is the meaning of it; 
and that meaning is made more clear when you come to see what the other 
allegations of the l\eport are, and what are the facts respecting the cake in 
question. 
The first case mentioned is one from a stranger to the Society, Mr. Eaton, 
f Tolethorpe Hall, Stamford, which is a case with which I need not trouble 
■ on now. Various things were fouiid, and the Veterinary Surgeon who made 
the post mortem examination could n ak3 no other discovery, and gave it as his 
opinion that the animal had been poironed by cake. But nothing of the kind 
is said when you come to the report on Mr. Kidd's cake, which is now in 
question before us. After publishing Mr. Eaton's letter in reference to that 
cake, which in no way refers to the cake in qucstiim, it goes on to say 
"The cake contained much earth-nut, also locust-meal, rice-dust, grass-seed, 
broken corn, and the usual small weed-seeds found in an inferior or dirty 
linseed, and was altogether a had linseed-cake." Therefore, you see you have, 
even with regard to Mr. Eaton's case, the elements given of which the cake 
was comjiosed, and you have no statement beyond that. 'J'hen having disposed 
first of all of that particular case, the Keport ]iroceeds to deal with the cake 
now in question, and begins by saying " Another case comes from John Wells, 
Esq , February 18th, a member of our Council, the whole of whose cattle were 
j attacked with serious symptoms immediately after eating from a ti'esh purchase 
, of cake, although only one case terminated fatally. The cake very much 
resembled the cake sold to Mr. Eaton, containing a quantity of seeds, cotton- 
cake, rice, broken corn, and cocoa-nut, apjiarently made from dirty linseed and 
the sweepings of corn warehouses." You will not forget those words " apparently 
made." "A small samjle of this cake had been sent before purchase to Mr. 
"Wells as best linseed-cake, price 10?. j er ton, iVom Ayre, Brothers. Hull— the 
/ makers, Messrs. Kidd, of Hull." Therefore, you will observe that the allega- 
tion there, so far as regards Messrs. Kidd, is tluu they are the makers of the 
cake which Mr. Ayre sold — a matter which of course is now beyond all doubt and 
question — that the cake itself very much resembled Mr. Eaton's cake, which 
contained a quantity of seeds, cotton-cake, rice, bioken coi n, and cocoa-nut, 
apparently made I'rom dirty linseed. AVith regard, of course, to the dealings 
between Mr. Wells and Mr. Ayre, you will have to consider whether or not that 
part of the statement is not well made out if in any way it can be considered 
to involve any charge against Mr. Kidd. All we know about Mr. Kidd in 
reference to this matter is this : he says, and Mr. Ayre says, that before he 
( made it he told him the exact composition of it. They therefore by an agree- 
^ '.nent about four years ago seem to have determined to manufacture this cake, 
and it will be one of the questions for \ our consideration what that agreement 
w:as, w-hat it amounted to, and when you come to consider whether what is 
J stated here is not perfectly true, that Mr. Wells bought it from Mr. Ayre as 
I best linseed-cake, j'ou will have to de il with Mr. Wells's and Mr. Ayre's 
evidence, and I shall deal with it also before I have done addressing you. 
Now, Gentlemen, you see therefore the positions of the Plaintiff" and the 
Defendants. The Defendants have no interest w hatever of their own to serve. 
I do not suppose or contend that that absolves them from the consequences of 
their acts. Ear from it. I am here fairly to meet the consequences. I sliould 
be ashamed of myself and of the Society that I have the honour to represent. 
