The Sun.
London, England, 1847-07-23 00:00:00

TII J SUN,

LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, JULY 23, 1847.

THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL
SOCIETY.
TIIE CATTLE SHOW.

NORTHAMPTON, THURSDAY, JULY 22.—Northampton
has seldom, if ever, presented a more animated appear-
ance than it has shown to day. Visitors began to arrive
as early as six o'clock in the morning, the hour at which
the show-yard opened. From that time until three
,'clock in the afternoon thousands continued to pour
into the town, on foot and in vehicles of various kinds;
whilst every train which arrived at the station deposited
hundreds at once. The inn-yards being incapable of
holding a tithe of the vehicles brought into the town,

carriages, gigs, waggons, and carts were placed in rows
in the streets and market-place. The streets were
crowded, and the principal routes from the town to the
show were filled up with a continuous stream of p3ople,
the appearance of the majority of whom bespoke them
agriculturists.
Notwithstanding the rule laid down by the society for
discouraging the exhibition of over-fed animals, there
were several in the show which came under that de-
nomination. This may be attributed to the circumstance
of this being the first show which has taken place since
the common-sense view of the subject has been adopted
by the society. Now that its fiat has gone forth, the
expensive process of manufacturing fat for the grease-
pot, lately so much in vogue, will gradually be aban-
doned, and one may not despair of seeing, in a year or
two, even at the Smithfield show, animals that are really
well fed and healthy.
TIIE DINNER.

The dinner took place in a tent erected in a part of
the town called Waterloo. This pavilion, which was
erected by Mr. Alarming, of High Holborn, is an ad-
mirable piece of workmanship, and well merits a minute
description, did space permit it.
Upwards of 1,100 gentlemen sat down to dinner, the
Earl of Egmont in the chair ; the Earl of Yarborough
vice-president. Amongst the company were the Duke
of Buccleuch, Marquises of Exeter, Northampton,
Downshire ; Eirls Delawarr, Spencer, and Chichester ;
Viscounts Sydney, Hill, and Newry and Morne ; Lords
Rivers, Walsingham, Portman, St. John, Southampton,
and Pomfret, Fielding ; Hon. Captain Dudley Pelham,
Hon. Philip Pierrepont, Hon. H. W. Wilson, Hon. \V.
Gage ; Sirs J. Johnstone, Bart., M.P. C. Lemon, Bart.,
M.P., G. Rebinsin, Bart., W. 0. Pell, Bart., Harry
Smith, J. Anson, E. Baker, and C. Knightley ; Mr. P.
Pusey, M.P., Colonel Austen, M.P., Mr. W. Miles,
M.P., Mr. W. G. Hayter, M.P., Mr. H. Stuart, M.P.,
Mr. G. Hudson, M.P., Mr. T. W. Bramston, M.P„ Mr.
T. P. Mansell, M.P. ; Colonels Challonor, Fitzroy,
Gilpin ; Sir E. Bowater ; Major Wollaston ; Mr. 11.
Wilson, Mr. T. R. Barker, Mr. J. V. Shelley, Mr. G.
J. Bosanquet, Mr. W. B. Stopford, Mr. Shaw, Mr. W.
F. Hobbs, Mr. Carter, Mr. G. Turner, Dr. Buckland,
Dr. Daubeney, Professor Way, Mr. S. Bennett, Mr. C.
Hillyard, Mr. W. R. Browne, and the present and late
mayor.
The dinner was provided by Messrs. Higgins, of the
George Hotel, and was a very good one.
The Rev. Dr. STODART said grace before and after
meat.

Dinner being over; -
The CHAIRMAN, in rising to propose the " Health of
her Majesty," observed, that in all he might say that
evening he would avoid touching upon any topic likely to
engender ill-feeling. The sole object which should in-
fluence all present was a desire to benefit to the great
society whose anniversary they were assembled to com-
memorate. He concluded by proposing " The Queen,"
which was drunk with three times three cheers.
The CHAIRMAN then gave " the Health of the Queen
Dowager, Prince Albert, the Prince of Wales, and the
rest of the Royal Family."—(Drunk with three times
three.)
The Earl of CHICHESTER proposed " the Health of
the Foreign Ministers." Upon this occasion the society
was honoured by the presence of Mr. Bancroft, the
American Minister.—(Hear.) It must be pleasing to a
society of Englishmen that the only Minister who hap-
pened to be present was the representative not only of a
great and intelligent nation, but one who derived its
origin from Great Britain.—(Cheers.) It was desirable
to cultivate the friendship cf foreign nations, because
nothing was more calculated to enhance the interests of
agriculture than a free communication with scientific men
ab oad. It was unnecessary for him to remind the meet-
in.. of the good offices which this country had recently
in her necessity received at the hands of America.—
(Hear, hear.) It had frequently fallen to the lot of the
society to welcome the Ministers of America at their
meetings, but never with more hearty good will than
upon the present occasion.—(Hear, hear.) He concluded
by proposing " The Foreign Ministers," which was drunk
with three times three.
Mr. BANCROFT, the American Minister, rose amidst
much applause. He said that he could hardly find
words to express his gratitude for the kind manner in
which his country had been alluded to. Although the
Minister of a foreign country, he was not altogether a
stranger in that meeting, for nature had established
bonds of union between the farmers of every nation on
the face of the earth. The same sun shone upon
them all ; the same seasons as they returned furnished
the seed-time, and ripened the harvest. The celestial
influences to which he must look for a blessing on his
exertions might well blend in the breast of the hus-
bandman with that spirit of brotherhood which had
made the tillers of the soil—especially those of Anglo-
Saxon origin—the guardians of freedom and conser-
vators of peace. Wherever the councils of the cul-
tivators of the soil prevailed, there it was certain
that nations would dwell in peace. Nor was that
the only point on which foreign nations found them-
selves interested in societies of this kind. Wherever
he turned his eyes he beheld evidence of the spirit
of enterprise and improvement which distinguished
the people of this country. They rifled every
clime of fruit and flowers to enhance the value of
their own. Everywhere you had evidence of the com-
binations of interest which connected together the na-
tions of the earth. Since he had been in England he had
seen American plants to which English skill and culture
had been applied, and they had attained a degree of
beauty and perfection which they never possessed in
their native soil.—(Cheers.) It had afforded him the
highest gratification to witness the beauty of the horses
and stock exhibited that day. Agriculture in his country
differed very much from that in England. In England
the farmers went through a course of work which had
been continued from century to century, and had only
to perfect what their forefathers had handed down to
them; the Americans, on the other hand, had to grapple
with the difficulties of nature—to tame, subdue, and
render useful the natural exuberance of their exhaust-
less soil. Nothing had struck him more since he had
been in in England than the manner in which the fields
were cultivated and weeded by the hoe and the hand. In
America the trees were older than the roads—older than
the towns—and, where spared, were the oldest monu-
ments existing in the country. In England not an
animal was suffered to live unless it could produce a
passport and prove its right to be fattened and fed.-
-(Cheers and laughter.) The farmers of England
cultivated the soil beneath those beloved churches—
(Cheers)—which stood amidst the graves of their
fathers, that seemed to shed a sacred influence on their
toil. With the Americans, beneath whose blows the
forests fell—with that moving and active population
those who now lived upon the soil were more numerous
than all who slept beneath it.—(Cheers.) There the
agriculturists, with the instruments of husbandry in
their hands, were obliged to erect school-houses and
churches, and prepare for competition with the mother
country in all that was calculated to promote the pros-
perity of mankind by the advancement of religion, and
the cultivation of science and art.—(Hear, hear.) In
the name of every American he responded to the wish
that peace might for ever prevail between the two coun-
tries.—(Cheers.) Let it be hoped that the relations of
commerce, and the interchange of intelligence between
the cultivators of the soil in the two countries, would
knit them together in such bonds of amity that no ap-
prehension of a rupture need be entertained. With these
sentiments, uttered from his heart and soul, he responded
to the sympathy shown for his country, and would con-
clude by praying for the prosperity of the farmers of
England.—(Loud cheering.)
The CHAIRMAN rose to propose a toast, which could
not be given if the rules of the society were strictly ad-
hered to; but he had no doubt he would be excused for
deviating from them, on account of the distinguished
merits of the individual to whom he referred,—be meant
" The Hero of Aliwal."—(The toast was drunk amidst
great cheering.)
Sir H. SMITH thanked the company for the kind man-
ner in which they had received the mention of his name,
and in the course of his remarks advised that some atten-
tion should be bestowed upon keeping up the breed of
hunters, as a matter of great importance in a military
point of view. A body of English soldiers mounted on
hunters was a terror which an enemy could not easily
resist. That valuable breed of horses was so much de.
teriorated that, if 500 were wanted for the service of the
country at the present moment, he believed they could
not be obtained.—(Hear, hear.)
The Duke of BUCCLEOGH proposed the next toast,
which was, " Success to the Royal Agricultural So•
ciety of England." His Grace expressed himself in
terms of warm commendation of the exhibition, and said
that persons had come to visit it from all parts of the
kingdom.
The toast was drunk with all the honours.
Mr. S. O'BRIEN made an ingenious address in intro-
ducing the toast of " Agriculture, Manufactures, and
Commerce," which, owing to the late hour at which this
report reached town, 'it is impossible to give, and the
same reason renders an abridgment of the subsequent
portion of the proceedings indispensable. The Hon.
Gentleman concluded by saying he would give the toast
as it was usually written on their election flags, " The
Plough, the Loom, and the Sail,"—might the plough
never break in a furrow, and be still guided by the strong
arm and honest heart ;—might the loom still ply and
find employment for labour;—and might the sail bear
forth our merchandise and bring back to this haven
of many navies the rich enjoyment of all God's bless-
ings.—(Cheers.)
The toast was much applauded.
The Marquis of NoaTnamr-rosz proposed the " Health
of the Mayor and Corporation of Northampton."—
(Drunk with three times three.)
The Mayor of NORTHAMPTON returned thanks, and
expressed a hope that the society would soon pay another
visit to Northampton.
Lord PORTMAN said, that it was his duty to propose
as a toast, "The Labouring Classes." He referred to
the difficulty which attended every effort to ameliorate
the condition of the labouring classes, and said, that
whilst it was the duty of society to educate the young
and cherish the old, it no less became it to correct the ill
doers of the middle-aged. That was the course which
he had endeavoured to pursue through life. There were
7,000,000 labourers in Great Britain employed in various
ot
acgc
cusp aatsi o
thens, bl ua tb
onuorneer
soefntghaegn ei
d
enjoyedinthe a
agriculture,
sme adn
for theyva -
beheld the works of God in all their glory. They, too,
saw the great principle of universal charity in daily
practice ; they saw the sun shine and the rain fall,

without distinction of sect or party, which taught them
that universal benevolence was the duty of poverty. It
was in that spirit he called upon them to toast the
labouring elasses.—(Cheers.) All present knew their
worth—(Cheers)—and he trusted they all knew and would
, perform their duty towards them. Ho would apply to
them two old lines, taking the liberty to alter one word:
"Be to their faults a little blind!
Be to their virtures very kind."
His Lordship concluded by proposing, " The Labouring
Glasses."—(Drunk with three times three.)
Mr. VERNON SMITH complained that the variety of
topics which had been offered to the notice of the meet-
ing placed him at disadvantage, for little was left for him
to say. Politics were purposely excluded from that
meeting; but it was not a little curious to observe that
every speaker who had referred to that rule ran as close
to the wind as he could.—(A laugh.) The itch which
speakers seemed to have for transgressing the rule in
question reminded him of an anecdote, which perhaps
the company would excuse him for repeating. A gen-
tleman who took home to dine with him a friend who
had a remarkably large nose, cautioned his wife not to
make any allusion to noses during his friend's visit; the
lady remembered the caution until they were just about
rising from the table, when she said to the gentleman,
" Pray make a long nose and hand me the biscuits."—
(Laughter.) At the present moment the rule operated
with peculiar hardship upon him and his Hon. Friend,
the Member for Northamptonshire. For his own part, he
hardly knew. whether he had a political position.—(A
laugh.) The Right Hon. Gentleman next adverted to
the presence of many ladies on the show ground and the
pleasure which it gave him to see the fairest of women
among the fattest of oxen, and passing to and fro, with a
lightness of step which would scarcely bend a blade of
grass, in the midst of Craskell's clod crushers and other
terrible looking implements, formed to tear but not in-
jure the bosom of mother earth."—(Hear and laughter.)
The Right Hon. Gentleman concluded a humorous and
agreeable speech by proposing " The Health of the
President."
The toast was drunk with three times three.
The CHAIRMAN returned thanks.
Mr. SHELLEY proposed, " The Judges of the Show."
He said that some idea might be formed of the arduous
duties which those gentlemen had to perform, when ho
stated the fact, that at the first show of the society the
number of implements exhibited was only 23, whereas
at the present exhibition the number amountad to 1,250,
and if placed in a row they would occupy a space a mile
and a quarter in length, by 20 feet broad. Great im-
provement was observable in the animals exhibited, and
the short-horns were as fine a lot as over was submitted
to judges.—(Hear, hear.)
The health of the judges was drunk with three times
three.
Mr. WRIGHT returned thanks for himself and his col-
leagues, an•l expressed a hope that in future exhibitors
would aim less at fattening their animals than developing
their points of breeding.—(Applause.)
The following toasts were drunk in succession:—
" The Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland,
and the Royal Agricultural Improvement Society of
Ireland."
The Earl of SILFORD returned tnanks, in the absence
of the Duke of Richmond, who was unable to attend from
illness.
" The Railway Companies, Rho have so liberally
carried cattle and implements free of charge to and from
the show."
Mr. HUDSON returned thanks.
" The President elect," proposed by the Hon. Octavius
Duncombe.
The Earl of YARBOROUGH returned thanks.
The meeting then broke up.

THE FAIR IMPOSTER.
Early last summer a lady, calling herself Madame
B—, attended by two servants, arrived in a very de-
gant carriage in a village not one hundred miles from
this city. She drove up to the best hotel, secured lodg-
ings, and shortly after handed the landlord a card, an-
nouncing a number of lots in New Orleans for sale, which
she desired him to place in his bar-room.
She professed to be a widow in bad health. From this
hotel she removed to a furnished house, which she
engaged for six months. She soon selected from
the merchants and market people a chosen few,
whom she honoured with her patronage. She had
a number of rich dresses made up, bought jewel.
lery, gave a soirée once a week, lived generously,
purchased all the old wine in town, and quite
monopolised the young chickens, cream, and other deli-
cacies in the neighbourhood. Several young ladies were
invited to spend the winter with her in the city; and the
son of a respectable planter was engaged to superintend
her sugar plantation for the ensuing year, at a salary of
1,400 dollars. She got up a subscription to build a new
church in the village, and headed it with 100 dollars, pay-
able on the completion of the building. It was soon
whispered, far and near, that her wealth was immense,
and no one thought of presenting her with a bill. Things
went on merrily. The two merchants she honoured with
her patronage were desperately smitten, and each had
reason to believe himself the favoured swain.

Thus passed the summer. One fine Sunday morning,
however, in the month of November, at about eleven
o'clock, one of the lovers, dressed in his best, and glowing
with hope, called to escort madame to a camp-meeting in
the neighbourhood. At the same time his rival arrived
with the same understanding. She had offered to each of
them a seat in her carriage. Looking by no means very
amiable at one another, they rapped at the door. No
answer was returned. They knocked again. Still no
answer. They became alarmed, but soon concluded that
the lady, piqued at their delay (they had dallied a little
too long over the toilette), had driven off solos to the
campground. What were they to do? They had
loaned their horses on the promise of a seat in the car-
riage, and not another was to be had. Indeed, scarcely
a human being remained in town. half-angry and
half-ashamed, they skulked back to their respective
lodgings, and spent the day as old crusty bachelors do in
country towns, mumbling crackers and cheese and
swigging brandy.
At breakfast, however, next morning, it was
whispered among the boisrders that Madame B. had not
been at the meeting. The lovers turned red. A
feeling of alarm, perhaps a dim idea that they had been
bamboozled, came over them, and accompanied by the
crowd, they had rushed to her house. The doors and
venetians were carefully closed, and for a moment the
group paused until the question of forcible entry could
be determined. The two attorneys of the place were
summoned, differed in opinions, cited on each side a dozen
of cases directly in point, and finally flew at one another
with great fury. The magistrate and constable inter-
fered, and during the melee the door was burst open, and
in the mob went.
Every thing was in perfect order ; flowers bloomed on
the mantel-piece ; a little slipper lay in one corner ; a
delicate glove in another ; and on the table was found
the following note, written on musk-scented paper,
couleur d'rose, in the prettiest Italian hand :
" Adieu my dear friends. The first frost summons me
away. I will be with you next summer, When you
visit the city, call on me at No. 27, Rue —. Make
my house your home. For your bills, draw on my mer-
chants, Messrs. —, Canal-street. Adieu ! Adieu !"
It is impossible to say precisely what was the feeling
of the company. Most of them were her creditors for
rent, some for supplies, and for considerable amounts of
cash loaned. A few swore roundly; others slunk off si-
lently, while the two lovers grew angry with each other.
He who loaned the money declared her an impostor ;
but the other insisted on her innocence, and treasured
up the abandoned slipper and glove, as memorials to be
cherished for ever. He that night drew upon her bank,
and enclosed a letter full of vows to the lady herself. In
ten days his draft came back protested, with a polite
note from Messrs. —, that they had not the honour of
knowing any such lady. Since then not a word has
been heard of the fair widow, and the whole village has
voted her an impostor, save the one faithful lover, who
confesses there is a mystery about it, but insists that she
will return next summer! Such is the spell of beauty
on man's imagination.—Galt Reporter.