The Express.
London, England, 1853-08-05 00:00:00

AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY'S MEETING AT

YORK

Wednesday was the first of the two great general
show days, when the whole exhibition of implements, cattle,
Inlets, sheep, pigs, and poultry, was thrown open. The
weather was most propitious, and the concourse
of spectators was cons( quently very large. The
show of stock was on this occasion a very excellent one on
the whole. As regards the cattle, it far surpassed any
former exhibition ; and there was probably the best make-
tine of short-horns ever brought together at one meeting.
The bulls were very good, and the heifers also were of a
more Wan usually superior character ; indeed it was quite
• treat to have an opportunity of witnessing such a display
of rare animals. It will be seen that in the class for cows
of tiny age, the animal which carried off the first prize at
the Royal Agricultural Society's meeting at Gloucester
(J. Yorke's, Esq., of Bewerley Hall, Ripon), was defeated
on this occasion, but the cow which took the second
prise at Gloucester, also had it awarded to her here. The
bull and heifer calves were remarkably line animal.;
but the cows in milk were comparatively inferior.
The competition fur the premiums fur sheep was
neither so spirited Bur so gratifying as could have been
wished. There were, however, among the collection,
some few choice specimens, but these were chiefly confined
to the sheep which were successful in competing for the
Lorivs • we may mention particularly the rams of Mr.
Boirtos _
_

Though it is our duty to speak only in measured terms
as to the excellence of the sheep, that is not our task in
regard to pigs. Here there was not only a very large com-
petition, but also an equally excellent one in point of qua.
lity. The present breed are well adapted to the require-
ments of the times, a greater amount of meat being pro-
duced for the same quantity of food than was the cam a
few years ago, and this, too, of a much improved quality.
Of horses there was an extraordinary show in point of
numbers, but there were only few that were specially
good in quality. Taken as a whole, the show of horses was
deficient in merit; but there were exception', and these
did not fail to meet with their reward in the award of
premiums.
Not the least interesting department of the exhibition
was the poultry, especially to the ladies, who evinced a
lively concern for the feathered tribe, of which there was&
larger show than the society ever had before. There was •
magnificent collection of the Cochin Chiea breed, and there
were also some good Malay, Dorking, and Spanish birds,
while the beautitul plumage of the Polande, and silver
pheasants added no little to the attractions of this part of the

show- yard.
On 'Wednesday evening the council dinner took place in
the Guildhall, Lord Hatham in the chair, when there was a
spirited discussion, "On the best time and mode of applica-
tion—different quantities of grain and other hand tillages to
green and cereal crops."
The show-ground was again open on Thursday, when
many thousands of persons were present. The show was
extensive and most interesting.
The neatmeeting of the society is to be at Ripon.

ARRIVAL OF THE BENOAL.—Yeldeally, the
Oriental Company's steam-packet Bengal, Capt. -Killed',
arrived at Southampton with the heavy portion of the In-
dian mail, under the charge of Lieut. Wilkinson, R.N.,
Admiralty agent. Her dates are those of the overland de-
spatches, published in the Evens on Saturday last.
The Bengal brings 49 passengers. Her cargo consists of
376 packages from Alexandria, 912 from India, and 178
from Malta.
ACCIDENT TO THE KING OF SARDINIA.—.-A
graphic despatch, dated Turin, Tuesday, announces that
King Victor Emmanuel had met with an accident at eta
whilst returning from Speszia. The boat which conveyed
his Meaty struck on a rock, but happily without injury
to the passengen. The King arrived 'slaty on land in ano-
ther boat.

THE HONOURABLE ARTILLERY COHPANY.—WOOL-
WWII. AUG. 4.—Yesterday the members of the Honour-
able Artillery Company of Leaden, of which Field Mar-
shal his Royal Highness Prince Albert, E.G., is colonel,
arrived at the Woolwich Marshes for practice, with 9-
pounder and 6-pounder guns. One hundred rounds of 6-
pounder nand shot were fired at the range of 660 yards,
with a strong side wind from the east, or at a right angle
to the line of fire. The number of shot put into the target
was 25, or 1 to 4. The remaining shots that did not stoke
the target were in every instance within • few on the
right or left, and some under or over ; bat all would have
been considered very good practice.
ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY or LONDON. —At the
monthly general meeting, held yesterday, at the society'.
house, In Hanover-square, Dr. Gray, vice-president, in the
chair. Sir Edwin Landseer, R.A., Captain Leff's°, R.E.,
M.P. ; and Messrs. J. Mutton, Rowland Hill, W. J.
Lockwood, W. H. La Serre. H. R. Mark, T. De la
Rue, J. N. Tomkine, J. Dixon, and 0. Prevost, were
elected Fellows of the Society ; and the Duke of Athol!,
Viscount Canterbury, Lord Elcho, Messrs. F. Futvoye, R.
Addams, W. W. Cargill, F. B. Goodacre, V. Collin, D.
Oldfield, H. 0. Stun, M.P., Dr. Sibson, Dr. Crisp, and
Mrs. Brunel, were proposed as candidates for the Fellow.
ship. The report of the Council stated that the total num-
ber of visitors to the gardens during the year bad been
240,738, being an increase over the same, period in 1852
of 53,050 persons. The elections of Fellows and Fellows-
elect in the present year have been 94 in number, being an
increase of 20 over the whole twelve months of 1852.
A STIFF STORY.—The Monongahela Republican
of Pensylvannia, says that there is yet living near Cooks.
town, a slave of General Washington's. He is 124 years of
age, and can walk six miles in a day. He is so old that .bis
fingers and toes are nearly all white. He belonged to
Washington when he owned what'll' now known as Wash-
ington's bottom, on which Peryopelia now stands. The es-
tate of Col. Cook was, and still is bound for his living. He
is to be taken to the World's Fair for exhibition, if arrange-
ments can be made.
ItArrsomes FILTER.—Public attention is being
directed to • peculisr kind of filter patented by Messrs.
Ransoms and May of Ipswich. This machine is manufac-
tured in the patent stone made by the same firm, and which
I attracted the notice of chemists in the Great Exhibition of
18-51. This material can be made of any degree of porosity,
of complete uniformity of texture .throughout, and can be
moulded of any required shape and sire. It consists of the
fine particles of :pure sand united together by means of
glass, which is first added to the sand in • liquid state, end
after the stone hu been moulded is reduced to a solid form
by means of heat. The stone thus formed may be of any
degree of porosity, dependiog on the fineness of the grit. The
filtration of water is thus accomplished easily, by planar a
filter made of this atone in any vessel containing the 'aid,
and attaching to it a pipe with a tap at the eed ("Anual,.
eating with the outside of the vessel. The advantages of
this filter consist in its simplicity, the perfect
.on of the fil-
tration, the coolness of the filtered fluid, a',,d the cheapness
of
.construction combined with's* aflrratas containing •
etemical disinfectant ; these filters • eem to possess all the
, qualities required by the lovers of pure water. The filter
removes all extraneous matter that is held in suspension, and
the disinfectant abstracts any foul substance that may be
held in solution. The patentees have applied their inven-
tie& to vessels of all kinds, from a goblet to a drinking
cap.