The Press.
London, England, 1853-09-24 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

scent to have mounted a .lerable ascent, them are
still far-ther ascent, herdic you
' tulle robe on Lath, and Alps on Alp. arise.'
(( Accr,,./ Thin it no time—l contemplate no time--in
which there will not he mach for an enlightened and Ilene-
vokut Lc-inslature 4, disclaim. to arrange, and to establiali.
Loud ise,r..) Very unfortunately. the very increase of
civilisation. the very gatherings together of population,
whirl' ars- the fruits of industr,, of comuwree. of Bourne-
manufsetuceil, and increased trade, bring with them
their attendant evils ; and while we am occupied. while
many benevolent men are occupied. in extending into re-
mote regions the light of Christianity, there are too iron)
almost at our own doors who. from the imperfection and
the 41elleteasy of education, on the one hand, and from the
crowded and ill•ientilated dwellingii which they inhabit, on
the ollo.r, are almost a. much depri%ed it the means of
obtaining religions knowledge and instruction as the
heathen in the most distant lands which our 14/voted
toissi iiii *tries have visited, and where they have been
ready to eacritice their lives in the promotion of Divine
truth. I Load cheers.) .

These questions ifere rise to numerous and im-
portant matters, upon which men again nisy differ. but
upon which I hope the conclusion to which they anive
may be conducive to the happiness of Our c trymen.
(cheer..) I will not give any opinion upon these ques-
tions, I will merely glance at their nature. Our very
freedssiu stands in the way of many regulations which of
themselves are beneficial. IVhile, in a foreign country.,
where despotic rule prevails, you find that there is an op'
ligation to provide for the good ventilation, for the
ordering and maintenanee. by measures of police, of that
which contributes to the health of the population of a
city, our isessple, naturally—l must say I find no fault
with such jealousy—object to the interference of any
central authority ; and, when the nutter is left to their own
government, they do nut always provide those measures
which it is for the good of our people they should provide.
(CLeero .1 What should be the limit? Should you inter-
fere ? What should be the measure of interference'' How
far can you limit the freedoruipf the people in this respect ?
How far should legislation be lidroduced into such matters?
These are important questions which the Legislature
should esaissider. Then, in segued to education, what vast
matters are opening, upon which men of the greatest in-
tellect have already given their opinion to the world. Can
we rely upon the voluntary efforts of individuals in order
to provide sound education for the people at large?
Should you interfere, as the Government of America has
interfered, in order to provide education ? If yon do inter-
fere, how far should you insist that it should be a religious
education ? Can you. on the other hand, provide a secular
education, and leave others, the ministers of religion, to
give religious instruction?
" I only glance st these 'mentions, in order to show that
there are weighty matters still for the consideration of the
Legislature and statesmen ; and I utsly pray to tissd that
they may be resolved its a nintins•E befitting the intellect,
befitting the elatracter,befitting the spirit of an enlightened
and a constant people. (Lewd theera.) Let me only say,
that while these matters of internal legislation are of the
suss..-.1 imp srtance, while they must occupy from day to
.lay the minds and the time of those who are called to
represent you in the l'uninionss' House of l'arlismient,
while there are other questions of internal
likewise of vast importance, upon which I have already.
for my part, given my opinion that further measures
ought to be adopted. it is also to be considered, and 1
trust we shell
important position among the nations of the world.
t('hrers.) It is not 01114', but nosily thaws, sh.• has snood
forward to resist oppression, to maintain the inderadence
of weaker minims, to preserve to the general family of me
ti that freedom, that power of governing themselves of
which others have sought to deprive them. (Math amid
load cleerring f I trust that character will not be forgotten,
will not be allendoned by a net' which is 11011/ stmngs-r
ire means, which is more populous. noire wealthy, than she
has been at any former period. This, then, visit will agree
with use, is slut a period to abandon any of those duties
towards the amid, towards the whole sat' mankind, which
(treat Britain has hitherto performed. ( Lord chem.)
it us perform them, it' possible', by our moral influence—
let us perform them, if' possible, while we maintain the
intotti mable bleaaingss of voice ; but, while w e endeavour to
maintain pence. I certainly should In. the last to forget
that if that 1.1.111 e cannot be maintained with honour it is
no longer pestee—(e"rdittnell applantte)—h becomes then
but a truce, a precarious truce, to be denounced by others
whenever they may think tit—(eheenal—whesiever they
think an opportunity has occuned to enforce by arms their
unjust demands either upon us air upon our allies.
(Mach cheerio'/.) I trust that, so lung as I can in.ar any
plait in the isublie councils of this kingdom, such will he
my sentiments, and suds will he my conduct. Happy
am to find that you have done me the honour to signify
your agreement with nie in those sent' (ehrers.)
I shall conclude, therefore, thanking you again t'or the
gnat honour that you have done me, by tuning that I
shall remain attached to that cause which has beets ex-
tinseled irl plain words—in that which used to la' the
toast at our 11* la, wherever I.:nglishmen met. namely—
' The cause of Civil and Religions I.ilserty over the world.'
(('herry.) I trust that, wherever the influence of threat
Britain extends, that Will lie lnaintninogl by her. I
feel it is her altered fimetion; and. when she lets fall that
standard from her hands, she will no longer sheerve to
bear her part in the concerns of the world. (Lewd and
renlinoed cheering. )"
Mr. lnlit.or, M.l'., moved a vote of thanks from
the inhabitants to the imovost and corporation, for
having paid so just a tribute to one so isonouresl, and
so deservedly honoured, as the noble lonl, and for
having permitted the community to witness the
gaming Proceediugs•

SATIIIDAY,

The proposal was carried by acclamation.
The Limp FY'., „sr haring adintleffledged the eom-
pliment, the meeting separated.

HERTS AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION.
THE proceedings at the annual meeting of this so-
ciety, which took place on Wednesday at Watford,
were strictly limited to agricultural business. In the
morning the exhibition monopolised all attention
the show of stock being pronounced excellent, and
that of horses a fair average ; but the collection of
implements and machinery was somewhat scanty.
The afternoon was signalised by the dinner, at which
Mr. Cluuerbuck presided, in the absence of the Earl
of Esser.. The chairman's speech was principally
addressed to the tenant farmers, whom he stre-
nuously enjoined not to be afraid of novelty :

" There were two points on which farmers were particu-
larly apt to go astray—one was their proneness to look
upon everything which they themselves did as perfect, and
the other was their prejudice against the introduction of
anything like novelty. The time had come now, however,
when they must look ahead. They must read history
merely as a guide for the future, and it they found that thev
had been acting upon a system which bad 'actually deterred
improvement, why, they must throw it over at once and for
ever. t rio,rrs. ) It was useless longer to adhere to preju-
dice. The experience of the last to years had established
as recognised facts things which then never would have
been believed or attempted ; and this it was which ren-
glered it necessary fur them to investigate the simple
truth, and to act upon it. As a proof of their progress of
late years, he might point to the proceedings of the Royal
Agricultural Society. believing that no society had ever
been established which had more honestly or more rapidly
promoted the real interests of agriculture, whether as
regarded manures. implements. or its various operations."
The health of the county members—Sir E. E.
Lytton, Sir H. Meux, and kr. Halsey—having been
drunkjwith enthusiasm, Mr. Mechi returned thanks
for the following toast of "The Visiton.- His ad.
dress dilated, as usual, upon the mechanical arrange•
ments and improvements which had lately been
introduced into husbandry, with the promise of
extensively ameliorating the condition of all who
depended upon apiculture. The rapidity with which
the classes in question, in many districts, bad
adopted these inventions was cordially recognised by
Mr. Mechi :

" Ile was glad to find that they were getting a little into
steam, for he thought that very shortly they would get
much deeper into it. (Hear, hear.) It was not a little
gratifying tee him to know that, though. when a few years
ago he first put up a steaneengine in his district. his
neighbours thought that he was vets crazy, steam-engines
were now becoming quite common. and a couple of rural
craftsmen in his village were so busy makiog ateaueengineei
for people in the vicinity, that they were obliged to build
ki new shop upon au enlarged scale. He measured the
agricultural progression of a district by the quantity of
steam that it possessed. (Hear, Cr.) He said this quite
ecerienisly. If they went into Lincolnshire or Norfolk,
they would find men with one, two. or three engines upon
a farm ; and when be saw the position which those men
occupied in society, and the means they possessed, he was
quite sure that they did it not as a matter of Taney, but of
sound calculation and profit. (Hear, hear.) There was
no branch of manufactures or mode of travelling which
had escaped the force of steam. They went down from
Lonelon, perhaps, to that meeting with the power of VA,
horses contained in a piece of machinery not longer than
an ordinary table ; and if they could concentrate such at
mighty power in so small a space aed weight, surely that
was something which might be applied to the benefit of
agriculture. They knew that if they wanted tee plough to
a depth of twelve inches instead of five inches, they must
put on five or six horses, and that the great weight and
pressure of those horses counteracted the effects of the
cultivatiem, while the expense was ruinous to the flamer.
If they could reduce that expense by means of steam to los.
on acre, he believed that agriculture would be benefited tee
the extent of something like 10,000,110. sterling, while
they would greatly increase their production. There was
nothing magical in a depth of five inches of soil, but they
ploughed that small depth simply because a plough could
not go deeper with a pair of horse's. If they could succeed.
then, as Ike believed they could, in concentrating the power
of lii e,r Ire borers in the small weight of a teen scud three-
quarters, they might depend upon it that cult ivutioi would
la' conducted by steam power. (Hear, hear.).'
Much, however, he confessed, remained to be
done, and he proceeded to offer some suggestions as
to the proper mode of doing it:—
" It was intisessible to go faun one part of the kingdom
to another, to observe the green lanes shut in by high
hedges, to see the great want of drainage, the great waste
of manure, the little fields and great fences, and the old
cumbrous and unniechanical waggons—it was impossible
to sec all these things. and the uneducated peasantry, nine
out of ten whom could not read or write, without consider•
ing that their show of fat stock was the sunny side of
agriculture. and that there was much in it which still re-
quired amendment. That could only be done by a long
pull, a strong pull. and a pull altogether; and it was impos-
sible that it could lee' carried out without the hearty co-
operation both of landlords and tenants. He had seen
gnat umbers of both those classes, and he had heard
landlonls possessing 10,000 or A.lOll acres say, ' I can't
aflurd it..' His answer tee that had been, ' Why don't you
sell one-half of it and put the other half to impmvements?'
(Hear, hear.) That had been done by the great Coke,

SEPTEMBER 24, 1853.

and was now done by the Earl of Leicester. Something
like One.tourth of that aplenilid estate, which was worth
410.01101. a year. was applied in improving the farm build-
ings anti in rendering the pniperty more pnwluetit e., and the
tenantry more pneapentent. ( A l'oice : Lord Alloy.) Yes;
1.1 .111 11. •1"1. many others did the name. t 'Mere.)
'those were bright tAtimples, and the more they were
talked *Lout and followed the latter. When he saw mil•
lions sent wary to construet fonigu railways and to tarry
out fiereign enterprise, he ettitlel nut help thinking that it
might find a mewl' metre. legitimate :mil natural %VIII 211
If the manufacturers had stitek to old customs
its long as the. agriculturists hail to old waggon* instead of
cm eloping the whole nothl in cellist, halt' the population
would I. in sant lit' I ireeeltes. t, lieur,"aosti a laugh.) Win,
in order to the. prodnetion of a yard of cheap rap), ma,
hone hail 'Tent in perfeeting rho implements. The
more they intre..llli'vel stain agriculture., the
more they elevated the character of the Mivitlualm who
nee, e 11.4.1..... el in it. They were inatly% nig, he boped that
they would WI MI, for there was still plenty of rom; and
he trusted that when next Ili. \Wilt Miffing tiliqr h. should
are their village engineer busy making stennotaigitwa, mid
at kind half* tlozett of them of three. eight, owl ten horse
power working rust Smoking inkti, anti iioitug all the'
busi-
ness of their farms. ( Long and ,•eutiiiio..! who e ring. )"