The Sun.
London, England, 1865-09-22 00:00:00

Mr. Disraeli, M.P., at Aylesbury.

AYLESBURY, Thursday.
The annual dinner of the members and friends of
the Royal and Central Bucks Agricultural Associa-
tion took place yesterday afternoon at the George
Hotel. The Right Hon. B. Disraeli presided, and
among the guests were—Mr. S. G. Smith, M.P.,
for the borough ; the Venerable Archdeacon Bicker-
steth, Mr. T. Fremantle, Mr. P. Dauncy, Mr.
Acton Tindall, Mr. J. Treadwell, Capt. Self e, Mr.
W. Lowndes, Mr. W. T. Morris, Mr. G. M. Allen-
der, Mr. Fell, Mr. J. Hale, Mr. G. A. Lepper, &c.
After the usual loyal toasts had been proposed
and duly honoured,
The CHAIRMAN said—lt now becomes my duty
very shortly to call your attention to the circum-
stances under which -we meet to-day. and the causes
of our assembling. We have always held these
meetings of the Royal Buckingham and Central
Association after the harvest, and I think very
wisely. At that moment the termination of great
anxieties has arrived, and we are able to form some
opinion as to our position. I know that the
result of a harvest is a subject upon which a man
must be influenced by considerable moral courage
to offer an opinion before an assembly of Bucking-
hamshire farmers. At the same time I believe I
may venture to say—l may venture to congratu-
late you upon a fair harvest this year. (Cries of
‘, Hear, hear," " No, no," and cheers.) Gentlemen,
I must say that I consider this an epithet which on
the whole may describe the harvest throughout the
country ; but if I were to mention, generally speak-
ing, a locality in which a warmer epithet might be
used, and instead of a " fair harvest" say a good
harvest, I should say that is the case in the happy
and favoured county in which we live. (Cheers.)
Remember this, that throughout the greater part of
the county—l admit there are exceptions—but
throughout the greater part of the county you
stacked the wheat before the weather broke. (Hear,
hear," and " No, no.") Generally speaking, in that
part of the county in which I reside we had the
satisfaction of stacking our wheat before- the
weather broke. (Hear, hear.) I admit that the
brightness of our barley was tarnished by the gusts
and showers. That was a misfortune. But it is
an ill wind—you know the rest—(laughter)—and
the gusts and showers that tarnished the brightness
of the barley renovated and recovered, and did more
than that in some instances to the root crops.
(Cheers.) And therefore I think we may find some
consolation and compensation in that circumstance.
Remember our root crops last year, and remember,
when you were speculating in this room and other
rooms in the county upon the price of meat in con-
sequence of the want of food and fodder that would
occur, I ventured then to warn you, or rather I in-
timated—for I never presume to warn—that nothing
was so unwise as to draw your conclusions from a
contracted area of observation, and that I had
reason to hope that the root crop of England
generally was not like that of the county of
Buckingham. That expression produced at the
time considerable dissent, and some expressions of
incredulity such as those we have heard
this evening. (Laughter and " Hear, hear.")
But what was the result? The result was that
which you all know—that throughout the north of
England the root crops, while our fields were almost
blasted, were exuberant and productive ; and when
you come to the great result—the price of meat—
you find it was not affected in the degree in which it
was supposed it would be affected, estimating the
condition of the county of Buckingham. (Hear.)
Having just arrived from the north, I can give you
some news from that part of the country which may
be considered important. Within the last few weeks
I have passed over the breadth of the county of
Durham, through almost the whole of the North
Riding of Yorkshire, and over a great portion of the
county of Westmoreland. Those districts, last year
so distinguished by the exuberant condition of the
root crops, are now in a state much more resembling
that of the county of Buckingham last year ; and
therefore, when I hear of calculations made from the
mistake of drawing conclusions from too limited an
a rea--as I did the other day in a neighbouring county
--viz., that the price of meat would be kept down
from the exuberance of the root crops, I beg to in-
form you that in the north of England, where such
a considerable effect was last year produced on the
price of meat from that cause, the reverse is now
the case, and you may now sincerely congratulate
yourselves on your own position. (Cheers.) And I
s ty that, although the harvest of England is a fair
harvest, the harvest of Buckinghamshire has been a
good harvest,. (Hear, hear.) But I admit that at
this moment the agricultural mind, especially in this
county, is not merely thoughtful of the result of the
condition of the crops. We are in a state which na-
turally occasions the utmost anxiety to all men, not
merely connected with agriculture, but to all the
inhabitants of this country, from that mysterious
plague which has appeared, and which has produced
such disastrous results, and may occasion conse-
quences of the most fearful character. (Hear, hear.)
1 will not trouble you with any speculation as to
the origin of the cattle pest. I believe that in this
county—and I say it with pride—we have men as
competent to give an opinion on the subject as any
men in her Majesty's dominions. But it is a
subject on which all must speak with great distrust
and diffidence. Her Majesty's Government have
made up their minds that it has not been imported,
and they have framed a great many measures by
which they hope the evil may be averted or, at least,
palliated ; and although it may not be difficult to
criticise some things that have been done or said, I
must say that on their part there has been a sincere
desire to do their duty, and that they are prepared
to propose all such measures as may be considered
necessary for the occasion. (Hear, hear, and No,
no.) I admit that there are some measures which
might be proposed which have not yet been proposed,
but there may be differences of opinion on that head.
There are a considerable body of men speculating
on the calamities of the country, and who are
tempted by low prices to buy tainted animals and
circulate this fatal disorder. I should like to see
such conduct on the part of such individuals ac-
knowledged by the law as offences against the realm,
and.made subject to a penalty. (Cheers.) But it
is not in the power of the Government—of the
Privy Council—to act in such a direction at present.
They can only act in deference to the powers which
Parliament has granted them, and it is a grave ques-
tion whether a Minister is to call Parliament toge-
ther to attain such an object and would be justified
in so doing. On the whole, I think there is an in-
clination on the part of the Government to meet the
evil, and it is our duty to support them as much as
we can, and where they
justifiable are wanting to supply the
deficiency. (Hear, hear.)
I have
Buckingham wwaittchhefdeetlihne con-
ductof the county
great anxiety, but also of • g
pride. The
manner in which the farmers of thiscounty
came forward at the beginning, showing their
organising power, their capacity of Reif-govern-
ment, giving a tone to the general conduct of
the country, was highly to their praise and
honour. There was no want of sympathy or feeling
OR my part as to the course which ought to be taken
by the proprietors of the soil. I thought from the
beginning that there ought to have been a county
meeting at which the proprietors of the soil should
have announced that they were prepared to acknow-
ledge that the visitation was not a local but a na-
tional calamity, and I have no reason to believe that
that feeling was not shared by others. But the time
was pressing, the farmers were determined to act,
and they did so with great judgment and discretion.
(Hear, hear.) They formed local societies, and it
was obvious that it was totally impossible to follow
them up, if the disease did not enter the county, by
anything like a county movement with any effect. If
that great calamity occurs—if the pest does enter the
county and ravage our herds, I will be the first to
sign a requisition to the High Sheriff to call a meet-
ing, in order that the whole county may take such
steps as they think will enable them to bear their
share in the visitation, which must be looked upon as
a national calamity, and not as a local visitation.
(Hear, hear.) The result of the cattle pest has been
this—it has shorn the exhibition to-day of some of its
greatest ornaments. I cannot entertain a doubt as to
the wisdom and discretion of the committeein declar-
ng that the exhibition of horned cattle should nottakc

place. Indeed, on my arrival from the North, where
this pest is greatly ravaging the country, and where
they are deeply impressedhy incidents of a: no t fright-
ful character which occur at every mom nt, I was on
the point of writing to the secretary to make the sug-
gestion, had I not been anticipated by the decision of
the committee. (Hear.) Although we have not had an
exhibition of horned cattle, the committee have wisely
in their printed programme of proceedings given us a
perfect knowledge of what that exhibition would have
been, and you are as competent to form an opinion as
to what the Royal and Central Bucks Association can
produce at its annual exhibitions as if the cattle pest
had not occurred, and it is for you to decide whe-
ther on the whole, looking over that catalogue,
it is one which is satisfactory to yourselves. That
Is a very important consideration. These annual
meetings mean something more than congratulating
ourselves on a good harvest, or condoling with each
other on a bad one. They mean something more
than drinking the healths of our noble selves. They
mean that we who, in a certain sense, represent the
county, should make some calculation of the posi-
tion of the county--whether it is increasingin wealth
and reputation, and whether the proceedings we are
taking are calculated to produce that result. If I
look technically over our usual authorised catalogue
and compare it with those which have been published
for the last three, four, or five years—even from the
time when the junction took place between the two
societies, to which I may afterwards advert, and
which it was supposed would give increased energy
and greater exertion to the county—l cannot see
that there is any material feature to call your atten-
tion to. The aggregate entries of the last five or
six years is not reduced, the number of exhibitors is
not diminished, the amount of money given in prizes
is not decreased, and one might make a very plausible
popular appeal upon each, and come to the conclu-
sion that, if not progressive, we are at least conser-
vative in our position. (Cheers and laughter.) But
when I analyse this catalogue I find some results
and circumstances which, to me at least, are not
satisfactory; and although I know it is not a pleasant
thing to be critical or captious, except when you
complain of a bad harvest—and probably I am taking
an unwise course—l hope you will pardon me on this
occasion if I briefly refer to it. (Hear, hear.) If I
look to the number of contributors to the exhibition,
I find that nine-tenths of them are furnished by the
county of Buckingham. That does not look as if
there were any great competition with other counties.
But what is more, these nine-tenths of the county
of Buckingham consist of dwellers within a parti-
cular district of the county. That has a tendency as
little as in the former institution to competition,
which is supposed to be the mother of excellence.
That is one feature well deserving attention. There
is another which I do not like. Ido not see that the
landed proprietors of the county are included in the
increase in the manner which we have a right to
expect. (Hear, hear.) Indeed, with the exception
of one who is absent—the squire of Aston Clinton
(Sir Anthony de Rothschild)—whose boundless
liberality and good natured energy have exhibited
themselves on these occasions with so much effect, I
scarcely find any individual of that order doing
what I conceive co be his duty to the county of
Buckingham under these circumstances. (Hear.)
And what is the cause of this ? I cannot believe
that the landed proprietors are deficient in a sense
lof duty. I know they are the reverse. I cannot
believe that among the tenant occupiers of Buck-
inghamshire there is any want of emulation. I know
from personal experience that the contrary is the
fact. (Hear, hear.) There must be some reason
for the present state of things. Why is the state of
Buckinghamshire different from that of the county
of Northampton or any other county? We have
here a county association. It is invested with the
halo of Royal patronage ; it meets, and you know
the consequences of it meetings. They are different
from those which occur in contiguous counties. A
gentleman has recently given me a description of the
show in the county of Northampton which may be
interesting. Now there is nothing in the county of
Northampton which should give it an advantage
over the county of Buckingham. Its soil, the dis-
tribution of itl estates, its general tenure of land,
and hundreds of circumstances are analogous tothose
of the county of Buckingham. But the Agricultural
Association of the county of Northampton met the
iother day in the city of Peterborough, and I have been
told by more than one gentleman that there was an
exhibition of stock like that of the Royal Society
in miniature, and hardly in miniature. There were
contributions from men in distant counties compet-
ing for prizes ; there were hundreds of pounds taken
in the show yard from those who were anxious to
view the exhibition. The first gentry of the county
of Northampton were present, and there were troops
of tenant-farmers, not only from every part of
Northamptonshire, but from the bordering districts,
full of animation, of the spirit of rivalry, and of the
creative spirit of competition, and such were the
numbers, and such was the interest and excitement
created, that the show was kept open for two days.
(A Voice : " And the ladies attended too.") I
should have thought that the show would have been
kept open for another day when the ladies were ad-
mitted. (Laughter.) When we arrive at that
point in Buckinghamshire I hope that will be the
result. (Cheers and laughter.) But I want to
know why these things don't happen in the county
of Buckingham. (Hear, hear.) Gentlemen, I want
to put the question before you in a business-like
point of view. (Hear.) It is not always viewed
in that way, and can only be viewed properly
through the medium of an enlarged and consider-
able experience. Now, what was the consequence
of the great change in the laws which regulated
agriculture some years ago ? We are not here now
to question the propriety of those changes which we
have witnessed, and which have entered into the
controversy ; but we have a right, and it is our duty
to ascertain the results of that change, and I say
that the results of that change are no doubt these,
that the owner and the occupier of the land can no
lcnger count upon the price of wheat as the princi-
pal source of his revenue or his profit. Well, though
you are placed in a different position, you have less
cause to complain than most men have, for a boun-
tiful Providence has favoured the county of Buck-
ingham in possessing the finest pastures in the coun-
try. It is not a local exaggeration when I say that
there are pastures in this county not equalled by
any in England, such as the pastures of Creslow,
Broughton, &c., and when I mention the dairy farms
of this county, which are so considerable that, by
the last returns of Parliament, I observe that Buck-
inghamshire produces much more butter than any
other county in England ; and in the south of your
county, where you depend more upon what is tech-
nically called the agriculture of land—though, no
doubt, there are some distinguished exceptions, for
there are some portions of land perhaps unequalled
in England for their grain produce and their wheat
produce—l say, especially as to the south of the
county, it is quite notorious that any man of energy
and action who holds land in South Buckingham-
shire finds he can only make. money by being a
stock farmer. (Hear, hear.) You mainly depend
urn your herds or flocks, but when you form socie-
ties like the present, the principle of which—to use
the language of your constitution and better lan-
guage was never before employed, is, though I may
correctly but I give the
spirit of it, to
pnroOtln quote
ote i t
the cultivation and improvement of agri-
culture and husbandry,
to improve stock, to encou-
rage and foster all experiments that may tend to the
advantage of the soil, to offer premiums for the
emulation of all classes, and for the improvement of
all implements in agriculture, I ask what does that
language mean ? What do those fine sentences
mean ? They mean
i this—thatincrease
thethe ei e s c
ssociiertcyi sfr
yourm ed
really to maintain and ncra
wealth. (" Hear" and cheers.) Well,
beforeell,th y
then, isoitu,and
not
a trifling question which you have
you must Consider in forming these societieslsvhe to whether
you attain objects by which your wealth i
maintained and increased. (Hear, hear.) Gentle-
men, I must say I do not think that the present
system is one which will effect this object. (Hear,
hear.) I say this with diffidence, but at the same time
with a conviction of its truth. I will tell you why.
The reason is that the position which we have taken
is by far too local. (Hear, hear.) The Royal Bucks
Agricultural Association is the oldest agricultural
society in England. It was established before the
Royal Society of Agriculture, and all the esietin,y,