The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-08-08 00:00:00

OINMINIII .109M....6.01.i. 'S

the chairman to propose the next toast, and on rising was
rec Lived with enthusiastic applause. lie said : nentlemen,
I rise in obedience to the commacd which I have received
from the chair, to propose to yJn the next toast—" &wee"
to the Manchester and Liverpool Agricultural Society,"
and, gentlemen, having the privilege to call myself a firmer

in the n(

to you, the
hlinehestt

the meeting which t

Agricuitural S

'ety of

rpnol h

.(1 v in Wiian,

anniversaries which it has yet experienced
and cheers.) Gentiemen, we hive all

(Cries of hear
rd it said

doubt, that when yon coma to the hills of L,nc
will meet with co'd and discouracinz w .athPr

In that

respect, we have been forty hate in the
Liverpool and M inch(
tilessittg of God's providence. better

given to t

ePprinn we have

and by the

(lather for the firmer

never was experienced than this which it is now oar privi-
lege to ttlj Y. (Beer.) With regard to the number of
people who have a,sembierl to with s the exhibition of to-
day, the rtvints of the thy have amounted to ro less than
£363—(ev,eer.) —an anion, t far larger than either Liverpool

.... ~....
or Manchester ever contributed- to the society upon
such an occasion. (Hear, hear.) With regard to the
number of competitors for prizes, the s ,err tiro has favoured
me with the figures, and they amount to 1073, Mng. no Tees
than 420 more thin e

were competit,ffs

my former

believe I speak the sentiments of the judge
you that the stock and the agricultural imp]
bitel were by no means the least in the race of the exhi
bitions of the society. (Hear, hear.) Well, then,
being the character of the competition, have Wigan
neizbrinrho3d any reason to be ashamed of

when I Zell

nts exhi-

—(cries of " No, no.')—of their appearance in this friendly
contest. 1" No, no.") I should weary you were Ito repeat
half the names of those who have gained prizes from the
town and neighbourhood of Wigan, but you will not forget
the names of Crawford, and Parker. and Bevan, and Lord,
and Dickenson, and Tipping, and Hoyle—all names in the
immediate neighbourhood, receiving prizes for successful
competition against distant competito-s, (Cheers) Gen-
tlemen, although I have the honour to call mvself a farmer
of the neighbourhood of Wigan, yet I must plead guilty to
being a very young farmer, and I shall therefore not fall into
the mistake against which so many of my predecessors have
given a wise and prudent caution, namely, that of talking to
you upon matters of which my knowledge is infinitely
inferior to yours. But there are some questions
connected with agriculture which it has been
my duty in former times particularly to treat of and to con-
sider. One of these is the application of s:nrere and
mechanical to the development of agricultural
industry. (Hear, hear.) When we look around us in the
district, in which we are now seated, can we forget that we
live in the county of Arkwright and of Crompton, and if
it were not invidious in me I could mention many living
names of men who are daily engaged in developing mechani-
cal art and science not unworthy to be named in the same
list with Arkwright and with Crompton. (Cheers.) Gen•
tlemen, it is in the memory of many who are members of
this society, that the greatest part of the manufacturing and
mechanical wealth of this great district has been created,
and when we now see the same facilities applied by the
same men to the kindred subject of agriculture, can we
doubt that we are in the commencement of an era of agri-
cultural improrement, which shall render the agriculture
of England equally celebrated with the matruf,rotnres, RDA,
with the commercial enterprise of England. (Hear ',-,ear.)
I remember the day of fallacies which are now not only
exploded, hut almost forgotten. 1 remember when there
was a prejudice that if you manufactured cloth by steam,
.you were depriving the poor man of the fair employment
of his labour, and when Lancashire was covered
with those who were destroying the power-looms in
order to revert to human industry in that process. Nal'. I
can remember when human beings were harnessed like
horses to the barges in this neighbourhood, and when it
was stated that it would be an infringement of their vested
rights, if you substituted for their labour the labour of
dumb cattle to perform the service. (Hear, hear.) Toat
illy has gone by, and we know that, whather it be in corn.
merce or whether it be in agriculture, when the great
endr.wment of reason with which God has furnished us
sobiects the powers of nature t I itt own use, azql makes
inanimate nature do that servile work which tormer'y met%
were obliged to perform, you are only emancipating man

zherduties; rendering him

liberty for the greeter

eift of .educAtion:--(cheers)L

and in

his turn in the command of new Dowers. to