The Sun.
London, England, 1839-05-06 00:00:00

SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION

OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.

The annual meeting of the above Society took place on
Thursday at 10 o'clock at Exeter Hall. Lord Viscount

MAnoN in the chair.
The CHAIRMAN, in taking the Chair, stated that the
meeting must agree with him in lamenting the absence
of the Earl of Carnarvon, their President, who was at pre-
sent on the Continent. He congratulated the Society on

:s present flourishing condition ; 150 new subscribers hnd
)fined the Society in the course of the last year, and all

'he difficulties which had stood in the way of the Society
iiad been surmounted. Lord Ashley would have been

present bad he not been prevented by previous engagements,
the same reason prevented the attendance of the Bishops of
Norwich and Salisbury, the latter of whom had sent a sub-
scription, as had the Marquis of Bristol. Mr. Gibson of
Edinburgh had given a prize to the hest Essay on cruelty to
animals which would be published in a few days. He was
certain that if barbarity to animals were reprobated by
public opinion, it would soon disappear. He believed the
cause of compassion to animals was making rapid progress
The command of mercy given by our Saviour was not con-
fined to man alone ; but was intended to extend to animals
also. The cause of humanity generally had been making
rapid progress for the last few centuries. He would
allude to the cruelties of the Spaniards on the discovery of
America, and the existence of the slave trade, as proof of
the truth of this assertion. In the criminal law also, execu-
tions had been less, and the torture had disappeared. The
inference, therefore, must be that the cause of hu-
manity was progressing. Among the benefits to be
derived from this Society, he thought it would react
ea the human kind, and that the man who was merciful to
animals would be merciful to his fellow-creatures. There
was a striking illustration of this in the character of
Zeleuco. He believed the able and accomplished author of
that work pourtrayed what daily passes before our eyes, in
showing that cruelty to animals necessarily leads to cruelty
to the human kind. But he thought animals were to be
considered on their own account and regard had to their
sufferings ; he could not adopt the opinion of M. Say, who
had described a sheep as a machine for producing mutton
and wool. While we received from animals all the benefit
we could, we should expose them to no needless suffer-
ing. Animals should be slaughtered in the most merciful
manner possible—and that noble animal the horse, while
we derived all the benefits possible from his services should
be used with all the humanity possible. No less than six-
teen Essays, many of considerable merit had been written
to compete for the prize proposed by a munificent Lady,
for the best Essay on this subject, and from the Prize Es-
say, he would read a passage descriptive of the Horse, and
of the sad change produced in him in consequence of the
cruelty to which he was exposed. (The Noble Lord here
read the passage.) It was perhaps not difficult to enlist
sympathy on behalf of the horse, but of all animals he
believed the donkey was the most ill-used, because some
such taunts as the often-quoted and misapplied line of
Pope,
" A fellow-feeling makes us wondrous kind,"
prevented persons from interfering to prevent this
cruelty, from the fear of ridicule. No such
feeling should prevent him from interfering to prevent it.
He trusted that that gentler sex, so many of whom had
honoured them with their presence, would use their influ-
ence to prevent cruelty to animals, and he thought that his
fellow countrymen would feel their censure more acutely
than any punishment that could be afflicted. He did not
protest against the use but the abuse of animals. He was
no enemy to fishing and shooting, and agreed in opinion
with Paley on this subject. The Society does not con-
template abridging the legitimate power of man over the
beasts of the field, but they did protest against con-
sidering animals as mere machines without feeling.
He trusted public feeling would put a stop to this,
for legitimate protection was nothing unless conferred
by public feeling. To that feeling he would appeal. He
believed that many persons were cruel from thoughtless-
ness alone, and if they could be taught to look on these
animals with sympathy, cruelty would be put an end to.
These were the principles of the Society, and he believed
the time was now come when an account must be rendered
to society at large for every pang that was needlessly in-
flicted. He considered the attendance that day as a proof
of the progress of the cause, and concluded by moving that
the Report be read.—( Cheers.)
The Repert was then read, and stated that his Royal
Highness the Duke of Cambridge had become a subscriber
to the Society, and mentioned several legacies that had been
left to the Society. That a a petition to Parliament was in
course of signature at Edinburgh, praying an extension
of the laws preventing cruelty to animals to Scotland.
The progress of the Society in Ireland was alluded to, and
one great step in the cause of the Society had been made
in France, in the prohibition of the " Combats des ani-
maux ;" that 295 convictions had taken place in London
in the course of this year, and that great good had been
effected by the Hackney Carriage Act. The Committee
were grateful to the public press for the assistance afforded.
The Report then proceeded to state the circumstances
under .which the Society had been enabled to prevent the
Stamford bull-running and the annual bull-baiting at
Stone, in Staffordshire. Constables, under direction of
the Society, had been employed at Ramsgate, Southend,
Blackheath, and various other places, with great benefit.
They had regularly attended Smithfield market, and
Greenwich and Camberwell fairs with great benefit.
Several miserable horses had been purchased and killed,
and the keepers of a dog-pit in Southampton-mews had
been convicted and fined. A prize had been awarded to
the Rev. Dr. Styles for his essay on cruelty to animals—
an offer had been made of the manuscript for three years by
Messrs. Wards of Paternoster-roar, and the Queen had
graciously been pleased to consent to permit the Essay to
be dedicated to her Majesty. The Committee paid a high
compliment to the Charter-House scholars who bad com-
peted for the annual prizes. The first prize had been
awarded to Mr. Powell and the second to Mr. Curtis.
The Committee hope some clause will be introduced into a
measure now before Parliament for the purpose of regu-
lating the manner in which dogs are to be used as beasts
of hurthen. The Report concluded by calling on the So-
ciety for their support, in order to carry out the views, and
if possible put an end to acts of cruelty.
Lord DUDLEY STUART believed it required no eloquence
to enforce the motion he was about to make. Having
seen from the Report that the Society had effected much,
that its funds had been properly expended, and that its
officers had been active, he thought they would have no
difficulty in acceding to his motion. It was gratifying to
see the existence of such a Society as this ; he thought that
heart must be depraved which could not take a pleasure in
seeing animals happy, and that practices which tended to
inflict cruelty on them must be regarded as degrading to
man and offensive to his Creator : and therefore this So-
ciety must have a tendency to raise our national character,
and to promote religion among us. He concluded by
moving that the Report be received, adopted and printed.—
( Cheers.
Mr. J. A. WARRE seconded the resolution of his Noble
Friend; he would not intrude longer on the meeting,because
he believed the subject had been minutely examined by the
Noble Chairman, and he would not weaken the force of
his remarks. The report was the thirteenth, and never
had any report been presented under more flattering cir-
cumstances. The beginnings of the Society had been
small, but he now saw a large meeting around him. He
considered their success in Paris as matter for great con-
gratulation, as showing the progress the Society was
making in public opinion. He was convinced the thinking
part of the public was with them. The Society had out-
lived, worked down, and extinguished all the attempts
made to overwhelm them with ridicule.
The question was then put and carried unanimously.
Mr. MACKINNON, M.P., proposed a resolution ex-
pressive of the gratification of the meeting at the
Royal patronage, and the great support the cause
had received, and injoining the necessity for further
exertion. He could bear personal evidence to the great
moral effect produced by the law for preventing cruelty
to animals, which he bad the honour of introducing to
Parliament.—( Cheers.) That law had been received by
the Government of the day with contempt, but when he
was supported by the Noble Chirman and the Earl of Car-
narvon, be persevered; that Bill had been unsuccessful
until 1836, but so convinced were the community of the
good of this law, notwithstanding it had not been regarded
by the Government with complacency, that in 1837 appli-
cation was made to extend the provisions of the law to
Ireland, and after an interview with Lord Morpeth, the
Government took up the measure and extended it to Ire-
land, and now an application had been made for the ex-
tension of this law to Scotland. The Hon. Gentleman then
related the circumstances attending the putting down the
Stamford bull-running, andexpressed his thanks to Lord J.
Russell for his conduct on that occasion. He had hoped
to have been able to check the cruel practice of harness-
ing dogs to carts, but he feared that would not be the case
this Session, because the Police Bill into which it was in-
tended to introduce this clause was so tyrannical that he
thought it must be lost. The measure he should propose
would be to have the trucks into which dogs were harnessed
numbered, so as to enable the officers of the Society to re-
cognise any persons who might be guilty of acts of cruelty.
If the Almighty Creator looked down on us miserable
worms with mercy and tenderness, ought not we to show
mercy to animals, his creatures? He would now conclude
by proposing the resolution.
Mr. J. G. MEYMOTT had- great pleasure in seconding
the resolution, and took this opportunity of congratulating.
the Society on this their thirteenth annual meeting. The
Society had been in existence fifteen years, and to the late
Richard Martin, Esq.—(Cheers)—were they indebted for
the origin of this Society, which, like a grain of mustard
seed sown in good soil, was now flourishing as a goodly
plant, and would hold its head high. They had their be-
loved and youthful Sovereign at their head ; and, in addi-
tion,
consentedhis Highness
enrolled
among
its
ofp a
tCr
oa
nms
.b Cambridge d ge
(Loudha d
Rtooy able
cheering.) He trusted that this success would not in-
duce apathy. They had scotched the snake, but not
killed it ; nor should they while sin, the parent of
cruelty, remained in the world. He then proceeded to
mention the legacies left to the Society, and to urge those
who left bequests to be exceedingly cautious how they
trust the execution of functions for which as Ministers
of the Crown they were responsible to the country."
The Standard observes, in the course of a leading
article on the case of Thorogood :—" In the House of
Commons, Mr. Baines brought forward the case of a
man named Thorogood, imprisoned at Chelmsford, for
non-payment of Church-rates, and entertained the
House with a long speech, the first part of which was
a moving thesis upon thehardships of imprisonment—the
latter a heavy reading upon various canons of the Church,
which Mr. Baines asserts to be neglected ; and which
have just as much to do with the case of Thorogood, as
with that of any conviction under the excise laws. As to
the inconvenience of imprisonment, no one, we suppose,
will dispute it; but Mr. Baines did not attempt to show
that the condition of Thorogood is one jot worse, or
indeed anything like so bad, as that of hundreds of
thousands of prisoners under the New Poor-law, to say
nothing of other prisoners ; and with respect to the
canons, he did not show that any one of them was
allowed to sleep, without good reason arising from the
altered state of society."

AGRICULTURAL REPORT FOR

APRIL.

Since we last appeared before our readers we received
the " Glcneral Report for England" of the " British
Farmers' Magazine. It is important, as presenting a
condensed view of the results of the late winter, and we

prefer to quote it, as introductory of our own subse-
quent observations. The writer says :—" Although
the winter months have bee❑ remarkably changeable,
neither frost nor rain have been of such continuance as
to materially check the seasonable business of the field.
In all the drier districts of the country beans have been
dibbled or drilled in a very kindly state of the soil. Peas
have been also extensively sown, and here and there
both barley and oats have been committed to the ground.
The young wheat looks promising every where, stocky,
but by ❑o means winter proud ; always a good sign at
this season, when the plants are just putting forth their
principal fibrous roots, which mature the grain. The
breadth sown this season appears, from all our reports,
to be much more considerable than has been sown of
late years; and, if a favourable summer succeed, there
is every prospect that there will be no necessity for open-
in.- the ports to admit foreign corn."
It is observed that the sharp frosts of early March,
with snow showers, rather served to ameliorate the
cloddy surface of some of the fields, than to leave them
in a too wet condition for the action of either the
ploughs or harrows.
This is the latest general notice that has been pub-

lished, although it extends only to the 13th of March,
having been issued the Ist day of April instant. It
confirms all that we have before stated, or ventured an
opinion upon ; and, though the month now at its close
has witnessed much cold weather, we perceive no
abatement of promise.
One Norfolk report, while attempting to write fa-
vourably, does not scruple to sound the alarm on the
condition of the wheats. We cite from memory, but
the burden of the lachrymose ditty appeared to be this
_ -

—that March, having brought real Winter in its train,
had produced a serious deterioration of the wheat which
had lost plant, and still continues to lose it, and
therefore that the fields assume a less promising aspect
than that which they exhibited in winter. We freely
admit that the second week of March was the winter of
the year, but we saw no loss—no thinning of the ground
covering—no change of colour. The lion prevailed
throughout, it is true, and deluging cold rains succeeded
to and followed his steps. The temperature of April,
generally considered, has also been below that of
average calculation ; still, however, the progress is, and
has been, assured, and now at the close of the month,
the corn districts of England exhibit a prospect of plen-
ty which is cheering in the extreme. To come to
particulars—within the last two or three days, to say
nothing of the accounts received from agricultural
friends and neighbours, we have had occasion to pass
through an extensive range of country, and to inquire,
rather minutely, into the state of the crops and pasturage.
We have seen the most unambiguous improvements in
breadths of wheat, which, owing to improvident eco-
nomy of seed, had long continued poor and patchy. A
carpet of verdure is spread abroad. The wheats must
vary according to the staple and management, but as a
whole they are as superior to those of the last two sea-
sons as the vegetables of a highly-manured and well-
cleaned garden are pre-eminent above the meagre
crops of the poor and neglected patch of the indolent
cottar. In fact, at the present period of 1838, in many
extended breadths the herbage could with difficulty be
discovered. Now, there is one compact, dense covering
of verdant stocky plants, which have tillered to the ut-
most desirable extent.

Barley sowing was expected to be bad, in consequence
of the alternations of heavy showers and sunshine ; and
we know that our neighbours have been perplexed and
tantalised during the course of prefatory operations.
At length, however, the seed appears to have been well
sown, for the plant has started quickly, and now exhibits
a beautiful promise. The barleys of 1838 were superb,
and could not be surpassed ; perhaps those of the pre-
sent season may not rank quite so high, but still they
will bear any other comparison, and the plant on the
ground, with that of the oat, is really very fine.
The broad clovers varies a little ; as a whole it is
late, but good.
The season is late, and in its character may be viewed
as one of alternations. In alluding to the equinox, we
expressed our belief that that the spring, and perhaps
the summer would prove showery. To the present date
it has been seen that the west and southerly winds have
invariably brought rain, which have as certainly been
followed by easterly winds, with a depression of the
mercury of at least 10 degrees. The season then, is one
not of great mutability, but of recurrent transitions.
Hence, being wet and cold, the progress of vegetation
must be tardy, and such we perceive is the fact. But
though the night air be frequently chilling, and of a
frosty character, there is a comparative amelioration,
and the promise of everything is fine.
Scarlet clover is eclipsed, its honour is departed ; and
we now perceive only broad clover and vetches or
tares. The Swedes are yet in use, the crop having
been magnificent. At Missenden we last week
inspected the bulbs and compared them with
those of Berkshire. They both were large, sound,
and hard as a cricket-ball. Kohlcrabi has not main-
tained its standing, as respects quality of food ; but it
must rate high in being inaccessible to the grub, and
capable of cultivation upon a bad turnip soil. Potato
planting approaches. We confidently recommend sets
with two eyes, taken off full medium-sized tubers,
planted very near to each other, in rows that are
widely apart ; the covering soil to be light (not pressed)
and finely pulverised. Let the roots have free space
to ramify extensively, and near the surface on each side,
and thus the cleaning tool can act freely, and the genial
influences of air, moisture, and sun light will produce
their utmost effect,
Stock of every description appears to be prime and
thriving ; an abundance of food is promised ; and if the
season prove fine, a striking change will be brought
about, which will prove that, in despite of all the puny
efforts of speculators, be they importers or producers,
the supply will regulate the price, and productiveness
secure a remunerative profit.

FLANDERS AND DUTCH MAILS

BRUSSELS, MAY 3. —His Majesty set out the day before
yesterday fur his scat at Ardenne, where he will remain for
a week.

In the sitting of the Chamber of Representatives yester-
day, a communication from the Government was made by
tha Minister of Foreign Affairs, relative to the signing of
the Twenty-four Articles, but the details were totally de-
void of interest. He then presented several projects of
law. The first to give the department of Foreign Affairs
a supplementary note of credit for 300,000 francs, to defray
the expense, which will be required for the conclusion of
the treaty.
2. For an adddition of 12,865 francs to meet the deficit
in the year 1838, under the head of travelling expenses,
and mission of agents of the Department of the Interior.
3. For the inorganization of the provisional councils of
Limburg and Luxemburg.
4. For the internal direction of Limburg.
5. The changes in the electoral bounds in consequence
of the diminution of the territory.
Other projects of law necessary in consequence of the
treaties were presented by the Minister of Public Works,
and the Minister of Finance. _ _ _

The Minister of Finauce proposed the following projec
of law:—

Ist, For a vote of credit of 4,985,000 francs, for the pay-
ment of the first half year of the portion of the
debt which falls on Belgium.
2d, RI- the repayment of the Scheldt toll to Belgian
vessels, and those of all other nations except those of
Holland.

3d, For a note of credit of 300,000 francs to meet th
expences of this repayment.
4th, (Presented by the Minister of War) relative to al
the French Officers, who have entered the service of Bel
gium during the war.

FROM THE DANUBE, APRIL 25.-1 hear from a quarter
that may be depended upon, that England has declared
itielf ready to preserve peace with Persia on the following
conditions :-1. That the Shah shall make no fresh at
tack on Herat, and shall resign his pretensions to the
sovereignty of Affghanistan. 2. That he shall give suffi-
cient securities (in what they consist cannot be stated) fur
the sincerity of his pacific sentiments. 3. That he shall
withdraw his troops, part of which are in the environs of
Herat.

AN EXPENSIVE JOKE.---In the beginning of
last month Baron de Klanersberg, a student at the Uni-
versity of Prague, being on his way to Vienna, arrived at
the little town of Aetstadt, in Bohemia, and stopped for
the night at the Black Eagle Inn. Being required to
insert his name, &c., in the travellers' register, the youth
put down a correct account of himself, but on coming to
the column headed " Object or motive of the journey,"
ventured the joke, "To blow his brains out." The inn-
keeper, in compliance with the police regulations, trans-
mitted the register to the burgomaster at eight o'clock in
the evening. At ten, when the Baron was in bed, a
police soldier entered his room, drew his sword, and sat
down by his couch. " What is your business?" inquired
the astonished Baron. " I'm come to watch you," re-
plied the warrior. " I shall be on duty two hours ; at
midnight a comrade will relieve me, and he will be suc-
ceeded by others until ten to-morrow morning, when you
you will be transferred to Jung-Bunzlaw, the chief
place of' this district." " Why am I dealt with as an of-
fender ?" " Because you have expressed the intention of
killing yourself; a proceeding which the burgomaster will
not suffer on any pretence whatever." M. de Klanersberg
begged hard to be taken forthwith to the Magistrate, but
the soldier declared that his orders were to keep watch
over him in his room. Next morning, at ten, a non co n-
missioned officer and eight hussars made their appearance,
and the Baron was conveyed in a carriage to the police
director. There he was subjected to the examination of
two doctors, when, on their reporting that they could de-
tect in him no symptoms of lunacy, and no bump of self..
destruction, he expected his immediate restoration to
liberty. Not so, however; the facetious traveller was
handed to the gaoler of the municipal prison, and next in-
troduced to;the parochial tribunal (pfarrgericht), for having
trifled with the veneration due to magistrates, by writing
an immoral thing in a public register. Unanimously found
guilty, he was sentenced to a month of durance, a fine cf
about 201., to the payment of all the expenses of watching
him at Aetstadt and conveying him to Jung- Bunzlau, end
lastly, to all costs. The Baron left the,au,
of tnir
resolved never to kill himself even pour rite.

EVEN I NG- EDITION.