The Sun.
London, England, 1865-09-29 00:00:00

East Surrey Agricultural Association.

The annual meeting of this association was held
at Croydon, on Wednesday. Owing to the cattle
disease having made its appearance in the neighbour-
hood the usual show of horned cattle did not take
place. In the afternoon the members of the society
dined together at the Greyhound Hotel, under the
presidency of Mr. J. Cressingham. Among chose
present were the Hon. J. P. Locke King, M.P., the
Hon. G. L. Leveson Gower, M.P., Sir J. Anson,
Mr. Lewis Loyd, the Rev. F. Benyon, the Rev. J.
Farrer, &c,
The usual loyal and patriotic toasts having been
drunk,
Mr. LEVESON GOWER, M.P., in proposing the
health of the members for the county, expressed
great gratification at seeing Mr. Locke King among
them. Without attempting to enter the field of
politics, he might say ihere were many important
subjects which must occupy the attention of the new
Parliament when it should be called together for the
despatch of business, and foremost among them
would be the cattle plague. (Hear.) Legislation
could not accomplish everything, and so long as the
farmers continued to buy and sell cattle, and were
constantly driving them through their lanes and
farms, they could scarcely hope to see an abatement
of the pestilence. The whole subject, however, was
one of the greatest importance, and he believed that
all members of Parliament would be glad to have an
expression of opinion upon it from meetings of this
character. Another important question was the edu-
cation and improvement of the condition of the labour-
ing classes. The subject was not altogether unnoticed
in Parliament last session, and he had no doubt that
before long something would be done to effect an al-
teration in the law of settlement. He admitted that
a serious responsibility attached to thelandlords, and
that it was their duty to provide better cottage ac-
commodation for their labourers ; but that would
not do everything. There must be a disposition on
the part of all classes to unite in carrying out mea-
sures of improvement, and there would be some hope
of ameliorating the condition of the agricultural la-
bourer. Without travelling further into the discus-
sion of agricultural questions he would propose the
health of the members for the eastern division of the
county, Mr. Locke King and Mr. Buxton. (Cheers.)
The toast was drunk with loud cheers.

Mr. LOCKE KING, M.P., responded. He said--
I am obliged to my hon. friend for the kind manner
in which he has proposed the toast, and to you, gen-
tlemen, for the manner in which you have received it.
I can with truth say that I feel an honest pride in
having the privilege of standing here to returnthanks
again as one of the members for the county of Surrey.
I am here also in a somewhat enviable position, as I
can now say with truth that I have represented this
county for a longer period than either division of the
county has before been represented since the passing
of the Reform Bill. (Cheers.) I am not going to enter
into a political discussion. Youknow me too well for
that, although at the proper time and season I can
fight as well, I trust, as anybody. (Laughter, and
cheers.) An hon. friend on my right has invited me
to enter into the question of tenant-right and the
game laws. Now, although remarks on such topics
would fall harmlessly enough from my hon. friend,
I am afraid that if I ventured to make them I should
raise a very stormy debate indeed. This is, however,
one subject to which my hon. friend the member for
Reigate alluded, which is at present uppermost in
the minds not only of the agriculturists, but of every
thanking man in the country. I allude to that great
calamity which at this moment is afflicting all classes
in the country. (Hear, hear.) Prior to the out-
break of the cattle disease we had arrived at a period
of such prosperity that the article of meat was no
longer what it was to the working classes some years
ago—a luxury—but to many it had become a neces-
sary of life. lam proud to say that many of them
—some from increased wages, and others from adopt-
ing habits of abstemiousness—have been able to
spend a portion of their earnings in meat, and their
families have enjoyed a better class of food than
formerly. Under those circumstances I do not think
this calamity could have befallen this country at a
worse time than in the present year. (Hear, hear.)
Our difficulty is great in the extreme. Although we
look naturally to science and the medical skill of
personsversed in diseases of different kinds for relief,
as yet they have been able to give us no comfort.
They tell us that the disease is not now confined to
cattle, but that it is fast spreading among the sheep,
and yet the only comfort and advice they give us is
to have a kind of indiscriminate slaughter. (Hear.)
As they have recommended no cure it seems to me
that it is our business to have recourse to prevention
in every possible way we can. We ought to urge
upon all persons who keep stock, and particularly
cows and other animals which are brought into
buildings, the necessity of cleansirg those buildings
by the most efficacious mode, either by lime washing
or by applying to the animals themselves, if it can
be done, the most powerful disinfectants. Some say
that you should wash their noses with vinegar. I
do not know whether that is successful, but I have
no doubt that many things might be done with the
greatest success. Hitherto the disease has mastered
all our scientific knowledge, and medical men can
hardly tell what ought to be done. Yet all are cer-
tain of one fact, and that is that the disease is highly
contagious. I believe that strong evidence has been
brought forward to show that it has been widely
spread by the railway carriages and trucks used in
the conveyance of cattle. Now, it appears to me
that when all are suffering to such a great extent,
and when the farmers are almost compelled to
slaughter their cattle by wholesale, the railway com-
panies should be compelled to apply to the trucks
and carriages used in the conveyance of cattle some
powerful disinfectant. In this society, in our own
small way, we have felt the effects of this disease. I
allude to the show of stock which we have at this
meeting, and which is by far the most important
part of our meeting, but which we have been obliged
to forego to-day. As to the ploughing match I re-
gard it as a matter of minor importance. Indeed I
consider that the days of ploughing by horses as
now practised are almost numbered. I look upon
ploughing very much in the same way as some years
ago we looked upon stage coaches. I plough with a
steam plough myself, and I know something about
it ; and I think that ploughing in the ordinary way

is so inferior that in the course of time it will be

confined only to small fields and small farms. It is
a thing that cannot last, as the work is done by the
steam plough in a much more efficacious way.
(Hear, hear, and cheers.) There is one question
connected with the cattle disease which is becoming
of great importance. We are now destroying the
stock which ought to have been reserved for pro-
ducing other stock. The loss we are sustain-
ing at present is not the only suffering we shall
sustain, but we shall feel the effects of the disease
for years to come. The cows are being killed off by
the disease, and the calves arebeing rapidly slaugh-
tered, so that it becomes a question of considerable
importance to know what we are to do for meat
hereafter. In the meanwhile we ought to devote
our attention to the production of crops for grazing
and keeping cattle. There are a considerable num-
ber of hill sides in the neighbourhood, which grow
very inferior corn, and it will be a question whether
it would not be profitable to prepare them for the
production of grass and green crops. But if this is
to be done, leases ought to be universally granted
—(cheers)—except upon those sites that are in-
tended for building laud, and which no landlord
would like to lock up for too long a time. My own
opinion is that leases ought to be granted much
more frequently than is now the custom. (Cheers.)
Since I had the pleasure of meeting you last year
one matter has occurred upon which we may con-
gratulate ourselves, namely, that the unfortunate
war which then existed on the other side of the
Atlantic has now ceased, by the people of the South
laying down their arms. This must be a source of
rejoicing to this country, and especially to that
great industry which was so seriously affected by
the war—the cotton manufacture. I am sure we
must all rejoice that the operatives who bore their
sufferings with such exemplary patience are now
enabled to resume their work with every hope of
obtaining in future a fair supply of cotton. The ques-
tion, however, is not one which affects those en-
gaged in the manufacture of cotton alone, but it is
04e, that affects the whole of the working classes of

this country to a very great extent. lam told, al-
though I never experienced it personally, that there
is nothing so uncomfortable as to be compelled
to wear an old ragged shirt. (Laughter.) But
the war is now over, and I trust that all classes will
soon have it in their power to obtain good comfort-
able calico under garments again at a price reason-
able and accessible to all. (Cheers.) As to the
Americans themselves, I hope they will be able to
adjust matters over the water in such a way that
they will find it impossible to pick a quarrel with
any other nation. I believe that, so far as we are
concerned, we are desirous of living at peace with
all the rest of the world, and particularly America.
(Cheers.) In conclusion, allow me to thank you
for the cordial manner in which you received the
toast proposed to you by my hon. friend.
Several other toasts were subsequently honoured,
and the proceedings did not terminate until a very
late hour.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

•46.- --

BAHIA AND SAN FRANCISCO (LIMITED).

The board of this company have recommended a
dividend to be paid at the rate of 6 per cent. per
annum for the half-year ending the 30th of June
last.