Country Meeting of 1895. 
xxv 
Mr. Richard ORd (President of 
the Darlington Chamber of Agri- 
culture) said that in the first place 
he had received a letter from the 
Marquis of Zetland, who regretted 
his inability to be present as a re- 
presentative of that Chamber. He 
appeared himself as President and a 
representative of the Darlington, 
South Durham, and North Yorkshire 
Chamber of Agriculture, which was a 
fairly influential and flourishing 
Chamber, consisting of some 400 or 
500 members, a large number of 
whom took part in their monthly 
deliberations, and who were interested 
in all the leading agricultural topics 
of the day. Everyone would hail with 
the liveliest satisfaction the advent 
to the town of Darlington of the 
Royal Agricultural Society. He 
remembered that upon at least three 
occasions names had been appended 
to the subscription list, in the event 
of the Society paying them a visit, 
but they had never had to sign any 
cheques. At the present time every- 
one was ready to put his hand in his 
pocket, and to part with his money 
like a man, in the hope of welcoming 
the Royal Agricultural Society. It 
was, of course, absolutely impossible 
to prognosticate the success of a show, 
because so much depended upon the 
weather ; but this he could say, that, 
be the weather fair or foul, they 
would receive at the hands of the 
people of Darlington and neighbour- 
hood a reception equal to any that 
had been accorded to any Meeting of 
the Society in any other town of 
England. He ventured to hope that 
should, the Society accede to their 
request, and bring the Royal Show to 
Darlington in 1895, in future the 
county of Durham would be known 
and celebrated for the success of its 
Royal Show, for the extraordinary 
excellence of its exhibits, and above 
all for the manly warmth and open- 
heartedness with which it welcomed 
the President, the Council, and the 
members of the Royal Agricultural 
Society of England. (Hear, hear.) 
The Marquis of Londonderry 
cordially supported the invitation. 
He reminded them that the county 
of Durham and the town of Darling- 
ton had invited the Society upon 
previous occasions, and one of the 
chief reasons why they had not then 
been successful was that their hotel 
accommodation had not been con- 
sidered sufficient. That was now 
altered. They had at least two 
excellent hotels, and he believed that 
ample arrangements could be made 
for the housing of both people and 
animals which would give every 
satisfaction. He could assure them 
that the North-Eastern Railway 
would carry out the arrangements in 
the same perfect manner as at 
Newcastle. That company, as they 
knew, had the monopoly of the North 
of England, and he rejoiced in the 
fact. If all other companies served 
their districts in the same way as 
the North-Eastern served him, they 
would be very fortunate people. He 
simply mentioned this to show that 
the Society would be served at 
Darlington by one of the best 
companies in the world in a manner 
which they had every right to expect. 
If they saw their way to visit the 
town of Darlington in 1895 they 
would never regret the decision at 
which they arrived. 
Mr. Dent said it was not often 
that the gigantic company of the 
North-Eastern Railway received such 
a compliment as that which had 
fallen from Lord Londonderry. He 
merely rose to say that when the 
Society’s show was held at Newcastle 
in 1887, and at York in 1883, the 
arrangements made were, he believed, 
quite satisfactory both to that 
Council and to the exhibitors. Dar- 
lington was the cradle of the North- 
Eastern Company, and it would be 
their special endeavour — as far as 
the Company could do so — to make 
the show there a success. The 
Council might rely upon it that the 
North-Eastern would do the best 
they could to make everything go off 
pleasantly and satisfactorily. 
The President then said that, on 
behalf of the Council of the Royal 
Agricultural Society, he had to 
tender to the deputation their best 
thanks for the invitation which they 
had given to the Society to visit 
Darlington next year. Under ordi- 
nary circumstances, it would have 
been his duty to ask the depu- 
tation to retire, in order that the 
Council might deliberate on the 
