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

'iced by

science. (Cheers) And, gentlemen, wha.
been an eeatnnle to the world of, in regard to commerce
end manufacture, the generation in which wA live is seeing
the beginning. and the succeseful proven of. in regard to
esrrioulture, and. I believe, we sh all, ye +r by ye,r, vvirrreco
that the more lab sinus and servile prover), s are perpetually
delegated to steam and to machinery, and that man is set
free for higher and more ennobling labours. (Hear, hear,
and cheers.) Gentlemen, I have said that this is
one subject, to which, in former times, it has been my
duty to pay .a particular and speoi .1 attention. There
is another subject at. the same time connected with
the spread of knowledge to which I am anxious to invite
your attention for a moment. It is a question commonly
known by two long terms which have been given to it,
namely, the subject of agricultural stir ietics, hut it really
means only this, that a knowledge sh add be widely diffused
of hich the tenant farmer is the person particularly and
specially in need. Ir is his interest to know at the cl ,se of
harvest what exactly is the true state of the case, in order
that he may measure whether be shall carry his newly g.rs
nered crop to the first "market, or whether from a right
appreciation of the circumstances of the present time he
shall reserve his sale for a more favourable opportunity,
(Hear, hear.) Well, gentlemen, I say the merchant can
attain that knowledge, and you must know very well in this
neighbourhood that the corn merchants of Liverpool have
the most elaborate arrangements alweiys made by travellers
through the country for the purpose of ascertaining first the
prospects, and then the state of the harvest. (Hear, bear.)
The tenant farmer has no such agencies - he must 1) depen.
dant on some knowledge otherwise to be acquired. Well,
then, I ask you, whose interest it is particularly and espe-
cially to further the diffusion of that knowledge with regard
to the crops ? I tell you emphatically it is the interest of
the tenant farmer. (Hear, bear, and cheers.) Well, now,
gentlemen, there have been two opinions of late in this part
of the world—l speak of Thigland—whether agricultural
statistics should be obtained by compulsory enactment, or lay
voluntary aid from the tenant farmers. It wae my
privilege, during the short time that I held office, to
co-operate with the tenant farmers in a voluntary .
arrangement for the purpose of attaining that statistical
information, and let me tell you the resul of that
experiment as regards the shrewd, and intelligent, and fay
seeing tenant farmers of Scotland. With an exception so
small that it ought not to be called an exception, and I
ought to speak of it as without exception, there was from
one end of Scotland to the other universal and unmixed
success. By the voluntary co-operation of the tene:.;nt
farmers we know the whole acreage of ground under every
kind of crop, and we know the stook as
schedule return which probably Known in the
You bar; seen, and that at
an early period after the harvest ie gathered in an estimate
is formed and published by Authority of government, which
by experience is found to be reliable as to the result of the
gathering in of the harvest, and in regard to the quality and
kind of the crop. (Cheers.) Not being competent, I freely
confess it, to address you on the interesting subject for
which you were assembled in the yard to-day, I felt it was
not improperly trespassing on your time to draw your
attention in this county of Lancashire to the great develope-
ment of mechanical skill, which may fairly be expected to
be applied in the next few years to the progress of
agriculture, and also to invite you to co-operate with those
in aothority in forcing by every means in your powet
that diffusion of agricultural knowledge, vitich I be
respectfully to contend before you, the agricultural
interest of this district, is far more your concem
than it is the concern of any other class in the comrsanpy.
(Hear, hear, and cheers.) Gentlemen, before sit down I
will only say, we have now arrived,theblessing of
Pr'videnee, at' a time when war is 'exchanged for peace—
(hear, hear)—when my excellent friend who sits by my
sole, who tells you that ha, knows nothing of agriculture,
and shows by the speeches he tirlivere, how m desty is
-asociated with merit. (Applause.) I say, when

_Jane baa

he can find time to t

leave the d

'Side over agiicul-
isonablv

s of a zealous soldier to pr
lurid meetings, what is the future which we may

expect for this great carnal rciA community in which We
With that abuothint harvest
live? (Renewed applause.)
with which it appears, sl far es we c m see, to be GA's
generous purpose we slould be bl sac d, w!. at is the clevelope.,
as regat
ment of industry which we m ,ynot reasonably AO
di trade, it will ha
and not intemperately puit,
prudently expect? I only hope,
prudently saeißut ehserve ate
consf quences to agriculture. Look at lh, valve to every
acre of land, and every hard working aian engaged iq
agriculture, of the developement and prosp,cts of commerce,
G,.ntlemen, wi.h this feeling, I most sincerely beg to 1041/Q
in yonr hands, and cordially to recommend to your atten—
tion, the toast which has been entrusted to may care—
" Sneeeca to the Manchester an 4 Liverpool Agricultural
I.' (Great applause.) As tuwesmen and neigh.
hours of Wigan,
we. are proud to believe-- we take an honest
and just pride in believing—that the society has no reastnq
to regret having accorded to us, for the preseet year, he
favour of its presence. We believe that worn. dnot be balmata .
of the reception we have given thzta. (hear, heat
t_._
believing, I am sure I speak your sent:
in conclusion that we cordially hope t

Saaietv.k

ents. wl.

ien I say

Loever receives

the society next year, may give th.tru a better reoeption
year, and that every year of
tlt w
their
a progress may
mgiavyenbt:T;eem tahrisof
advance and improvement
over its predeces-'"—
(eheers).—and it will be our effort in
the meanwhile so to take care of the agriculture of Wigan,
that when next they come here we shall be able to overstep
all that our rivals have been successful in building tip.
(Cheers.) The honourable gentleman then resumed his
seat, amid loud and pzolonged applause.

The toast having been responded to several other toasts
were proposed and acknowledged, amongst which were
"The Mayor and Corporation, and success to the Town
and Trade of Wigan," the "successful Candidates," the
" Committee of Management and Local Committee" IQ.
The assembly then broke up.