ROYAL SOCIETY FOR PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS. 551 
stated that during the past year promising branches have 
been established at Leicester, York, Reading, Rochester, and 
Chatham. They announced that they are about to offer a 
premium of £o0 for an Essay against Vivisection, in English, 
and 1000 francs for a similar one in the French language, 
which they hope will continue the agitation against that 
practice which they have instituted. During the past year 
they have prosecuted upwards of one thousand offenders to 
conviction, and had sustained only seven dismissals. The 
officers had performed duty in eighteen counties, besides 
attending fairs and visiting the canal banks, in addition to 
the London suburban districts and the general metropolitan 
duty. At the Copenhagen market four officers constantly 
attend. Some of the offences punished were of a most hor¬ 
rible character, and many were too disgusting to be described 
in detail. In various parts of the country lectures had been 
delivered on kindness to animals, and schools had been 
visited for the purpose of inculcating the principles of this 
society upon children ; while many sermons had been 
preached in favour of its objects. The committee are about 
to propose a plan for giving rewards to persons whose uni¬ 
form good treatment of animals may merit some mark of dis¬ 
tinction. They announce a premium of £50 offered for an 
improved vermin trap which shall supersede the toothed 
steel trap now in use, and, at the same time, be tortureless. 
Upwards of two hundred models had been received, and were 
on that occasion on view, but no adjudication had yet taken 
place. They report a favourable decision by Vice-Chancellor 
Sir W. Page Wood, in the Court of Chancery, in favour of a 
legacy left to the society of <£10,000, and should the decision 
not be reversed, the amount, at the death of a life tenant, 
will fall into their hands for the improvement of London 
slaughter-houses. After enumerating a few donations and 
legacies, the report concludes with an appeal for support.— 
The principal persons on the platform were the noble earl, 
president; the Marquis Townshend, the Marquis d^Azeglio, 
Italian Ambassador; W. A. Mackinnon, Esq., M.P.; and 
the Rev. Mr. Smythies. 
