182 Obituary. 
undertook the editorship of the Journal of the Society, which all agreed he 
conducted admirably. 
The voters of Berkshire turned him out at the next election, in conse- 
quence of his Free Trade tendencies, which I am afraid he felt very much. 
It was indeed a lamentable return for all his services to the Society. 
The proposal that the Society should hold its meetings in different parts 
of the country was made soon after its establishment, and contributed much 
to its usefulness and popularity. 
I am, dear sir, yours faithfully, 
(Signed) Harry Verney. 
The Secretary, Royal Agricultural Society. 
At a subsequent stage of the Society’s year of jubilee Sir Harry 
Verney attended the Fiftieth Anniversary Meeting, held at 12 Hano- 
ver Square, on May 22, 1889, in order to move the adoption of the 
Report of the Council ; and as the speech he made on that occasion 
has not yet been recorded in the pages of the Journal, I may be 
allowed to reproduce it hei’e : — 
Sir Harry Verney, who rose amid cheers, said he supposed he was the 
only one who could look round on all the portraits in that room and recog- 
nise every one of them. The reason why he had been so very much attached 
to the Society from the beginning— and he had a good deal to do with the 
commencement of it — was that he felt it would be more useful to the 
country in general than any society that could be established, because it 
would unite the agricultural classes with those who, by position, wealth, 
and intelligence were able to make scientific experiments for the improve- 
ment of the cultivation of the soil. Land became more healthy by being 
well cultivated, there was a larger amount of produce, the labourers obtained 
an increase in their wages, and altogether great benefits were conferred upon 
the country. Above all, the greatest boon was the prevention of the agri- 
cultural labourers and their families dropping away to London and other 
large cities. He had known several of them who had come to London, and 
spent their little all in coming there, and then desired to return, but found 
it impossible to do so. Here they paid 2s. Qd. or 2s. for a single room in a 
miserable court or alley in London, having paid the same sum in the country 
for a cottage with a garden. Those who prevented the agricultural classes 
coming to London conferred an enormous benefit on the community. Their 
Society entirely owed its existence to Lord Althorp and the late Duke of 
Richmond. He well recollected all their efforts at the beginning of its career. 
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales had lately done him (Sir Harry 
Verney) the honour of calling him the “Father” of the Society. It had 
certainly been a most prosperous family, and one which he believed had 
conferred great benefits upon the country. As the oldest member of the 
Society, he took the liberty of moving the adoption of the report, and of 
expressing his great satisfaction and happiness at witnessing its prosperity. 
The number of societies which he had seen established in England, and par- 
ticularly in London, for the benefit of the working classes was something 
quite enormous. For a very old man like himself, who had only a short 
time to live, it was a source of happiness and of great gratitude to God to 
see this increase (Cheers). 
All through our correspondence and conferences of 1889 Sir 
Harry was expressing the hope that his health might permit him to 
attend the Society’s Meeting in Windsor Great Park. That hope he 
was happily able to realise. I have a vivid remembrance of standing 
outside the entrances on one of those terribly hot and exhausting days 
