4 
King  Edward  VII. 
and  on  one  occasion  urging  on  all  the  members  who  could  do 
so  to  visit  the  Colonial  Exhibition  then  in  progress,  and 
suggesting  inviting  the  Colonial  and  Indian  visitors  to  go  on 
the  Woburn  excursion  and  to  the  Show  at  Norwich. 
In  the  succeeding  years  we  find  His  Royal  Highness  keep- 
ing up  his  active  association  with  the  Society,  but  in  the  year 
1888,  the  death  of  the  Emperor  Frederick  prevented  the  Prince 
from  attending  the  Show  at  Nottingham  as  he  had  intended. 
In  1889  at  the  Windsor  Show,  His  Royal  Highness  took  a great 
part  in  welcoming  the  Society  in  its  jubilee  year,  when  Queen 
Victoria  was  President,  and  he  presided  at  the  annual  meeting 
of  Governors  and  Members  held  in  the  large  tent  at  the  Show, 
and  made  a speech  as  Acting  President.  On  this  occasion, 
gold  medals  specially  struck  were  presented  on  behalf  of 
the  Society  to  Her  Majesty  and  the  Prince  of  Wales  by  the 
Duke  of  Richmond.  On  the  Thursday,  Her  late  Majesty 
Queen  Victoria  visited  the  Exhibition,  and  the  Prince 
presented  the  Members  of  Council  and  Officers  of  the  Society 
to  her. 
In  this  same  year  the  Prince  presided  at  the  State  Banquet 
at  St.  James’  Palace  to  the  Council  and  Chief  Officers  of  the 
Society,  and  in  replying  to  the  toast  of  the  Queen’s  health,  said 
that  although  Her  Majesty  was  far  away,  yet  she  took  the 
greatest  interest  in  the  Society,  and  greatly  appreciated  being 
President  during  its  Jubilee  year.  He  himself  was  proud 
to  think  that  he  had  been  a Governor  of  it  for  twenty-five 
years,  and  outlined  his  connection  with  it  since  the  early 
age  of  nine-and-a-half,  when  he  had  been  taken  to  the  Show 
at  Windsor  in  1851.  He  then  proposed  “ The  Royal  Agricul- 
tural Society  of  England,”  giving  a general  history  of  it, 
and  mentioning  in  his  speech  several  of  its  more  distinguished 
members,  as  well  as  referring  to  the  success  of  the  Society, 
its  work,  the  Journal,  its  prizes,  &c. 
Within  three  weeks  of  his  attendance  at  the  meeting 
to  which  we  have  just  referred,  we  find  the  Prince,  though 
unable  to  attend  the  Society’s  Council  Meeting,  had  written 
to  the  Lord  President  of  the  Council,  calling  attention  to  the 
outbreak  of  foot-and-mouth  disease  in  Germany,  thus  showing 
that  his  active  interest  in  Agriculture  was  not  confined  to 
attendance  at  the  meetings  of  the  Society. 
For  some  time  after  this,  we  do  not  find  anything  recorded 
concerning  the  Prince’s  connection  with  the  “ Royal,”  but 
in  1891  he  once  more  attended  a Council  Meeting  held  on 
May  6.  On  November  4 of  this  same  year,  we  find  that 
a vote  of  sympathy  with  His  Royal  Highness,  on  the  occasion 
of  the  fire  at  Sandringham,  was  passed  at  a Council  Meeting. 
Again,  in  the  next  year,  the  Society  showed  its  sympathy  with 
