The Sun.
London, England, 1839-10-09 00:00:00

GREAT DINNER IN THE PAVILION.

The business and fatigues of Thursday were termi-
nated by a public dinner in the Pavilion. When lighted
up, this erection had really a magnificent appearance ;
and the two hundred gas burners sparkling over the vast
extent of the apartment, with its many-coloured pillars,
green festoons, and interminable array of glasses and
bottles, gave to the whole something of the variety and
romance of a gorgeous eastern scene. The scats of the
Chairman and his friends were on an elevated platform
at the southern end of the Pavilion, on which were
painted the Royal Arms ; and it was surmounted by a
canopy of green and crimson cloth, and decorated with
wreaths of evergreens—the most pleasing, refreshing, and
grateful to the eye of all the ornaments of the place. At
the other extremity of the apartment was the Croupier's
goat, elevated in a similar manner ; and an orchestra was
constructed in the middle of the western side, which dis-
coursed " eloquent music" throughout the night. Sus-
pended from the eclair. of the roof, where the festoons
were drawn to a point, there hung a sort of Ceres' of-
fering, a large bunch of grain, consisting of wheat,
oats, and barley. At half•past five o'clock, the com-
pany sat down to dinner. A few forms in one of the
corners seemed hardly filled, but the body of the pavi-
lion presented a most striking appearance, and nearly
twelve hundred persons were present. We need hardly
add that no previous public dinner in the north of
Scotland ever approacned to nearly this number. The
Duke of Richmond was in the chair, supported on the
right by Lord Hatherton, Lord Saltoun, Lord Gifford,
Provost Ferguson, Sir James Gordon, Lieutenant-
Colonel Leslie, the Master of Grant, M.P., W. Mac-
intosh, Esq. of Geddes, Major Cumming Bruce, P.B.
Ainslie, Esq. of Colme, &c. &c. On the left of the
Duke sat the Earl of Charleville. Lord Lovat, Admiral
Sir P. Campbell, Col. Maclean of Ardgour, Sir R.
Abercromby of Birkenbog, Col. Hugh Baillie, M.P., J.
M. Grant, Esq. of Glenmoriston, Mackintosh of Mac-
intosh, Gen. Sir John Rose of Holm, Sheriff Fraser
Tytler, the Rev. Dr. Rose, &c. The office of Vice-Presi-
dent was filled by the Marquis of Tweeddalc, supported
on his right by the Earl of March, Lord Mme,lonald, Sir
William G. G. Cumming, Sir Francis Mackenzie, Brodie
of Brodie, Mr. Malcolm of Portalloch, Mr. Dempster
of Ssibo, and Mr. Macpherson Grant. On the left of
the Vice-President were Lord Ward, the Hon. John
Stuart, the Hon. George Stuart, the Hon. Cecil For-
rester, Sir Charles Lamb, Sir Colin Mackenzie, Mr.
Baillie, of Dochfour, &c. The other gentlemen enu-
merated in our list of persons at the Committee's dinner
were also present.
After the usual loyal toasts—
The Duke of RICHMOND rose and craved a bumper.
The toast he had the honour to propose was the pros-
perity of an institution to which he felt. persuaded
no resident in this part of the country would, for
one moment, hesitate to drink. He must here now
state the reasons which induced him to accept the
proud situation in which he was placed on the present
occasion. He regretted his inability to discharge the
duties which would devolve on him, and the more
so when he considered that the Duke of Sutherland
would have occupied his place much better than he could
do. The Noble Duke had been longer acquainted with
the North of Scotland than he (the Chairman) had
been ; but still he did feel, when called on as a Highland
proprietor—(Cheers)—to take the chair on the present
occasion, that this meeting would excuse any omission
on his part in the discharge of the arduous duties which
would now devolve on him.—(Cheers.) Since the war
was ended he had devoted his time to agricultural pur-
suits, because he felt it his greatest delight to attempt,
at least, to become a practical farmer.—(Cheers.) Ho
need not say more as a preface to the toast, than to
congratulate the meeting on the splendid show of this
day ; he had attended many shows, but few, if any, had
exceeded it.—(Cheers.) lie was glad also to state that
the contributions to-day exceeded in amount that of any
l previously given to the Society. This showed that the
farmers in the North were alive to the atl,antages of
the Society.—(Loud cheering.) He was glad also
to say that there had been more stock exhibited to-
day than on any former occasion except at Glas-
gow, and even on that, the quantity was only
about nineteen or twenty short. The Society was
also of great use, inasmuch as it turns the atten-
tion of ;ill classes to the benefits of agriculture. It
was only in the showyard that the real value of stock
could be ascertained. When they are seen by them-
selves, each farmer is prone to think his own stock best ;
but when they are placed side by side with others at
such exhibitions as they had seen to-day, then the
farmers could see by comparison the faults they ought
to avoid, and the good they had omitted.—(Cheers.)
In large meetings, such as he was now addressing,
parties were brought together from different parts of
the country ; gentlemen of different pursuits were thus
led to know each other, and as politics were very pro-
perly excluded they separated on even better terms
of friendship than they felt for each other when they
met.—(Cheers.) The show of implements that day
was a point of great importance to the Society, and
so also was the show of the different kinds of
seeds. This gave farmers an opportunity of selecting
such seed as would be most suitable for the soil.
Too much attention could not be paid to this point,
and he could testifr from experience that he had ever
found it of great advantage to pay the strictest atten-
tion to the quality of the seed.—(Cheers.) He re-
jo;ced in this institution also because it brought to-
gether landowners and occupants. The landlord was
thus of necessity made practically acquainted with
agrculture, without which that mutual advantage and
friendship which was so necessary to the permanent
happiness of both, could not exist. He calculated on
this Society receiving the greatest good from the prac-
tical knowledge of the tenantry, and, for his own part,
though he came not here to-day to flatter the practical
agriculturists, he was happy to say that he would go
away from Inverness with much more information than
he had when he came within its walls.—(Cheers )
The Noble Duke then gave " Prosperity to the High-
land and Agricultural Society of Scotland."—Cheers.)
Air, " Speed the plough."
The next toast was " The Church of Scotland."—
(Cheers.) Air—" The Hundredth Psalm."
A great many other toasts were given, and speeches
made, of which the meeting appeared to be heartily
sick, for on the Marquis of Tweedale giving the " Te-
nantry of Scotland" not a word could be heard. Tho
din and tumult continued for nearly half an hour, and
all the while the Marquis sought a hearing, but few
seemed to know or care what he said. At length, the
bugle sounded from the chair, and order was somewhat
restored, when the Duke of Richmond poured oil on
the troubled waters, by praising the speech of the
rNeosootbtiloov
eb(l‘ielarquis, and delivered a few very appropriate
remarks on the motto, " Live and let live," by which
to hoped o
do oato
it_i
st act(ocr
httooewea
rsastr.sd)
befores
Hhise tenantry,then stated
and had
had still long
the
same time, the prop 7
bearing, urging,te,ityb
begged
gbaeet
being
gea