The Sun.
London, England, 1865-09-20 00:00:00

Woodstock Agricultural Association,

WOODSTOCK, Tuesday,

The annual gathering of the Woodstock Agricultural
and Horticultural Association took place this day. The
show was exceedingly good, and the attendance of members
of the society very numerous.

The dinner at the Town-hallwas presided over by Capt.
E. Thornhill ; and amongst the gentlemen present were
Mr. Henley, M.P., Col. North, m.r., Col. Fane, M.P., Mr.
Barnett, M P., Viscount Dillon, Sir IL Dashwood, Bart.,
Col. Bowyer, Mr. Margetts (the mayor), &c.
After the usual loyal and constitutional toasts had been
given and duly honoured,
Col. BOWYER proposed the "Health of the Members for
the County," the whole of whom he was happy to Say were
present.
Tho toast was received with three cheers, and one cheer
more.

Mr. HENLEY, in responding to the toast., said that the
chairman had been pleased to say that the members for the
county had taken' the trouble of attending on the present
occasion, but he must little understand their feelings if he
supposed they considered it a trouble, particularly when
they were received in such a cordial and enthusiastic man-
ner. They attended, knowing that they should meet men
entertaining all shades of opinion. Matters calculated to
create discussion were, always properly avoided, but still
they could not but feel proud when they found men of dif-
ferent opinions ready to receive them so cordially, know-
ing that they were always ready to perform their duty.
(Cheers.) That was the real feeling which induced men
in public life to try to perform their duty. They knew
they were always short of the mark, but they knew
equally well that when they tried to do their best their
countrymen were always ready to take the will for the deed.
That was a matter that made labour light—that cheered
them to go on in the right way—because they knew that
their acts would be favourably considered by those whom
they represented. It would be in vain for him to
say anything, or at leastlauch, on the use of such societies
as the present. When he saw the Town-hall more thaci
ordinarily filled by the most respectable inhabitants of the
' neighbourhood, when he saw such societies supported by
so large a proportion of the clergy, who knew their value,
he could not doubt of their value to the general community.

(Cheers.) There was no matter of peculiar public interest
calling for observation. Thank God, we were all reason-
ably prosperous. Many present, no doubt, would wish corn
to be a little higher in price, but on the whole it was a
great satisfaction to find that the volunteers were so fully
employed that they, or a great many of them, were unable
to be present. It was found every day both by buyers and
sellers that, fast as meat was created, it could not be
created fast enough. The butchers came and took it before
it ought to be taken, and when that was the case ho did not
see that the agriculturists could be otherwise than in a pros-
perous stste. But the eaters and the sellers could not fail
to look with some apprehension on the present increased
and increasing price of meat. Great skill—he spoke ad-
visedly—had produced a much larger amount of meat than
any one would have supposed 50 years ago could have been
produced. When he was an undergraduate he recollected
sheep being walked up to Smithfield market not 12 months
old, and barely shorn. Although such mutton might ap-
pear to sonic persons precious bad mutton, still it was bet-
ter than no mutton at all, and he was of opinion that if
mutton were not quickened we should have no mutton at

all, and he did not see how that supply could be much more
quickened than it was at present unless it could be quick-
ened before it was born. (Laughter and cheers.) Regret-
ting that he was unable to say anything better worth hear-
ing, he begged to thank the company for the kind manner
in which his name and that of his colleagues had been
received. (Cheers.)
Colonel Nonni also responded to the toast, and iu doing
so pointed out the advantage of agricultural associations in
bringing together men of all political and all religious

opinions. The greatness and glory of the country was
mainly owing to the fact that we were not only able to en-
tertain independent opinions, but had the manliness and
the right to express them. (Cheers.) So long as this right
and this feeling existed, England would always remain a
great country. (Cheers.) So far as he was individually
concerned, he had always done his best toperform his duty
in Parliament, and he felt that, although he had been re-
turned by the party who coincided with him in opinion, he

was the representative of the whole county, and it gave him
the greatest satisfaction to do what he could for those who
entertained opinions diametrically opposed to his own.
(Cheers.)
Colonel FANE, after thanking the company for the kind-
ness with which he had been received, observed that when
he saw so many gentlemen busily employed with their
pencils in taking down every word that was uttered for the
purpose of printing it in the newspaper, it required much
stronger nerves than his own to face them. (Laughter anti
cheers.) A great deal had been said about meetings of this
description, and of the great advantage we professed over
foreign nations. In France and other countries agricul-

tural and other meetings took place, but he had never
heard of any such agreeable assemblies abroadas took place
in this country. lie had been told in the course of the
day, " When your members travel about and attend so
many meetings of this description you ought to be able to
give us some practical knowledge and information." That
observation he had no doubt was perfectly true, but it was
a most extraordinary fact that at all the dinners which he
had attended in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Essex,
he had never inet with any gentleman who had spoken with
any practical knowledge on the subject. (Laughter and
cheers.)

Mr. HENLEY proposed the health of the president, who
briefly acknowledged the compliment.
Mr. 11. L. GASKELL then proposed till) health of the
member for the borough, which was received most enthu-
siastically.

Mr. BARNETT, in responding to the toast, said he was
placed in a very different position from that occupied by
Mr. Henley and his colleagues, the members for the county.
They were familiar with the House of Commons, and were
well acquainted with its mode of procedure. His own ex-
perience had been confined to standing and not sitting in the
House of Commons ; but he looked forward to the high
honour of taking his seat there, and although he might be
unable to take any conspicuous part in the deliberations of
that assembly, he felt the greatest and incst honest desire
to make himself useful, and to take such a part in its pro-
ceedings as might be within the scope of his ability. (Hear,
hear.) He was cheered by what he had heard from many
quarters that it was not those who talked most fluently and
frequently who commanded the greatest attention in the
House of Commons. 'That was the opinion of a man for
whom he felt the greatest respect and value, Lord Stanley,
who recently told his friends that there were two qualities
which gained the most notice in that assembly, knowledge
of the world and common sense. (Hear.) Of one of these
qualities he could not speak as relating to himself ; but
with respect to the other he might be allowed to say that
he had lived long in the world, and that a person who had
done so without gaining some practical knowledge must be
a very unobservant individual. He trusted that the quali-
ties which he possessed would be found useful and would
not incapacitate him from taking part in the councils of the
nation. (Cheers.) He wished to make one remark on what
had been said by Colonel Pane, whether from an excess of
modesty or of candour he was unable to say, but the gallant
colonel and some other gentlemen repudiated the idea of
knowing anything about agriculture. He believed that
would be rather an excess of modesty than of candour, for
they had been too long engaged in agricultural pursuits
not to know more than they gave themselves credit for.
(Laughter and cheers.) But he certainly thought it would
be profitable to improve occasions like the present if gen-
tlemen more intimately acquainted with agriculture would
give such meetings the benefit of their knowledge and ex-
perience. (Cheers.)
Several other toasts followed and were duly responded to.

COLLISION BETWEEN A GOODS AND A COAL
TRAIN.—On Sunday morning a collision occurred
on the London and North-Western Railway at Bolton,
which was attended with great danger, and did consider-
able damage. A train of empty waggons from Rochdale
had arrived, and were being shunted off the main line at a
place known as Bullfield. Sidings. Whilst this operation
was being conducted a loaded goods train from Preston,
due at 5 a.m., came on at a good speed. The coal waggons
were being transferred from one side of the line to the
other, when the engine of the Preston train dashed into
the middle of them. The violence of the concussion was
so great that six of the waggons were cut away from the
train, and the body parts of two of the waggons were
thrown off their wheels. Fortunately no lives were lost.
The fireman of the Preston train jumped off, and beyond
being badly shaken was not hurt. The engine-driver re-
mained at his post, and faced the danger unhurt. It appears
the signal was put up against him, but he says the atmos-
phere was foggy then, and he did not see it until it was too
late to stop. A number of men were set to work to remove
the damaged waggons, and after an interruption of three
hours, during which several other trains were delayed, the
line was cleared.

SERIOUS ACCIDENT TO A VOLUNTEER.—At the
annual review of the Ist Administrative Warwick-
shire Rifle Volunteers on the Race Course, Warwick, on
Monday afternoon, an accident occurred to Private Charles
Wright, of the Ist Leamington Company, who was acci-
dentally shot by his fore-rank man, while filo firing was
going on. The rifle was "full-cock," hence the accident.
The cartridge struck Wright immediately above the right
eye, and inflicted a severe flesh wound. His hat was
blown off his head into the air to a height of about 30
yards. Two or three surgeons immediately attended him,
and rendered all necessary assistance. After having
partaken of some stimulants his head was bandaged up,
and he was sufficiently recovered to be able to walk off tht.
ground. At the conclusion of the inspection, Lieutenant-
Colonel Manners addressed the men, and spoke in terms
of the highest praise of their discipline, appearance, and
knowledge of military duties. He cautioned them par-
ticularly about having their rifles at full-cock except when
firing. That painful accident which had occurred had
arisen in that way, and ho hoped it would servo as a
caution to them.