The Sun.
London, England, 1847-09-28 00:00:00

SIT Ng SEPTEMi3ER 28, 1847.

NORTH DERBY AGRICULTUL
SOCIETY.
(From the Derby Reporter.)
The annual meeting of this society was held at
Chesterfield on Wednesday last. The exhibition of
cattle was a small one, and the show upon the :whole
was inferior to the one of last year. The attendance
of the gentry of the district was, very scanty, and was
pointedly remarked upon. Among those present we
noticed the lion. G. H. Cavendish, M.P., AV. H. De
Rodes, Esq., E. G. Maynard, Esq., H. Bowden,
Esq., J. Thompson, Esq. (Stubbing Court), George
Stephenson, Esq , &c. The prizes having been
awarded, at two o'clock a party of 50 partook of an
excellent dinner at the Angel Inn ; Philip Heacock,
Esq., president of the society, in the chair.
After the usual loyal toasts had been given,
The CHAIRMAN gave " Success to the North
Derbyshire Agricultural Society."
" The Judges, and thanks for their services," was
next given.
Mr. 'NETT returned thanks: He was sorry and
disappointed at not seeing a more extensive show. A
few years ago, when he (Mr. 'nett) had the pleasure
of being with them on a similar occasion, the exhibi-
tion was very superior, and indeed highly creditable
to the district. What were the circumstances that
led to the falling off he could not say. Whether re-
cent legislative changes had anything to do with it, or
whether it was attributable to other causes was best
known to the society itself. Without at all entrenching
upon the wise rule laid down, that politics should
be excluded from the deliberations of the society, he
might allude briefly to recent legislative changes
which might have had a tendency to depress the
agricultural mind. 'When, for instance, they were
told that foreign cattle was to be imported, it was
gravely alleged that it would not be worth the British
farmer's while to rear cattle, but the result had
shown their fears and prognostications to be fallacious.
—(Hear, hear.) Tben again, when they were told
that foreign corn was to be imported, it was stated
that the ruin of the English farmer must speedily
follow. To be sure such prophecies of evil were not
new. He well remembered when gas was introduced
that men seriously believed that no more tallow
would be wanted—(Laughter)—and when railways
were first made it was argued as a certainty that it
would be of no use breeding horses, or growing any
more oats or beans.—(Laughter.) Now these were
popular opinions at one time, and it required the
teaching of experience to prove to many how utterly
fallacious they were.—(Hear, hear.) For himself he
believed that with good farming and an enterprising
spirit, we can grow corn as cheap here as in most
countries abroad. However, of this he was sure, that
whether corn be high or low, bad farming would not
answer at any price.—(Hear, hear.) If we could
not make a farm productive, the fault must be in the
mode adopted in its cultivation, or the deficiency of
capital and skill. There was a large quantity of land
in this country, which, for want of drainage and
proper management, was worth nothing to the farmer.
—(Hear, hear.) He did not mean to say that in
such cases the tenant was solely to blame. In some
instances this state of things might be attributable to
bad landlords ; in others, to indifferent agents, who
were a stumbling block in the way of improvement ;
but, however this might be—whatever the difficulties
under which many tenants laboured, he (Mr. Inett)
believed that a brighter day would dawn upon the
British farmer, when he would be remunerated for
the labour and capital employed—indeed he had no
doubt of it.—(Applause.)
The VICE-PRESIDENT then gave the healths of the
successful candidates.
Mr. HEYWOOD (Brimington) acknowledged the
toast on behalf of the successful candidates.
The CHAIRMAN next proposed "The health of the
Duke of Devonshire," which was received with loud
plaudits.
The toast was drunk with three times three.
Mr. CAVENDISH was sure his Grace would learn
with great satisfaction the kind and hearty manner in
which they had received the toast.' The Duke of De-
vonshire would always take a warm interest in the
society, and but for the unfavourable state of the
weather on the other side of the hill, and slight in-
disposition, would have visited the show-yard to-day.
—(Applause.) The Hon. Gentleman then proposed
the " Health of Mr. Heacock, the President.
The CHAIRMAN, in responding, stated that he had
beets a member of the society from its commence-
ment, and should continue to be so, believing that
such institutions were calculated to do good by im-
proving the breed of cattle and promoting the mutual
interests of landlord and tenant.—(Cheers.)
Mr. COTTINGHAM proposed the health of Mr. Bag-
shawe, to whom they were indebted for his presence
on that occasion, and for the manner in which he had
discharged the duties of Vice-President.
Mr. BAGSHAWE returned thanks.
The CHAIRMAN then gave, " The Members for the
County."—(Drank with three times three.)
Mr. CAVENDISH acknowledged the toast, and
said it was a gratification to him to be present at
the meeting. At the last annual meeting held at
Bakewell, he (Mr. Cavendish) told them that he
was about to try several experiments, the
result of which he would make known to them.
The reservoir was one; another was the experiment of
feeding sheep in sheds upon gorse. The latter, in a
pecuniary point of view, did not answer just then, for
the butcher said that as potatoes were scarce the
sheep were so fat that nobody would like to eat them,
and therefore they were not "a marketable commo-
dity "—(Laughter.) He did not, however, despair.
Potatoes were now more plentiful, and his fat mutton
would be in request.—(Laughter.) The manure
from the sheep was very valuable, and the effects of
it might be seen in the appearance of a portion of his
turnip crop. Indeed, on asking his bailiff what he
thought of the manure, he replied, "It really looks
beautiful, it is like spicepudding " (Much laughter.)
And now a word as to the utility of societies like
this. Some persons thought that they were produc-
tive of no good, and that the premiums awarded did
not induce a better system of breeding or farming.
He (Mr. Cavendish) agreed with the objectors, that
if a farmer would not farm better for his own pocket
he would not be induced to do so for the sake of a
prize • but it must certainly be considered an advan-
tage that landlords and tenants should assemble; to-
gether for the interchange of sentiment, and in order
that they might profit by the lesson of experience
communicated one to the other.—(Hear, hear.) The
Times and some other London journals, which he
supposed were in this " dead season" hard up for
matter, were busily engaged pointing out the absur-
dity and inutility of these meetings, but he (Mr. Ca-
vendish) doubted whether the gentlemen who penned
these articles knew much about the subject upon
which they wrote.—(Laughter.) With their permis-
sion he would now propose the health of a gentleman
present, who had risen entirely by his own energies
to a position of great celebrity, and who, in fact,
had earned a .European reputation—Mr. George
Stephenson.—(Much applause.) Mr. Stephenson
had not only benefited his native country, but the
world, by the introduction of railways ; and he now
settled down in the immediate neighbourhood of
Chesterfield. to enjoy the well-earned fruits of a life
of unwearied activity.—(Applause.) To-day he ap-
peared among them as a cultivator of the peaceful art
of agriculture. He might be seen in the show-yard
examining the implements, pointing out improve•
ments, and bringing to bear, for the benefit of
farmers, his great mechanical powers. He also exhi-
bited a very fine horse, which had been greatly
admired; and now they had the pleasure of his
society at dinner. After some further remarks, the
Honourable Gentleman concluded by drinking Mr.
Stephenson's health, which was responded to by three
times three.
Mr. STEPHENSON returned thanks, and then pro-
ceeded to direct attention to drainage and to his
theory of the action of light upon plants, and the
mode in which it penetrated the earth. What was
the cause of the great production of the soil this
year ? They had had less cloud and more light than
for some years, and without light the plants would
not flourish abundantly. A great variety of opinions
existed about draining, some advocating deep, others
shallow draining. He contended that some knowledge
of geology was necessary to drain properly, for
various lands required different treatment.
.Gene-
rally speaking he thought drains from vasteheen inc. es
to two feet were deep enough, and he of opinion
that light soils were frequently drained. too much.
The Magistrates for the
He concluded by proposing "
county."—(ApPlause.)
Mr. BAGSUAWE, as the senior magistrate present,
responded.
Mr. JAMES BROTHERTON rose to
propose the next
toast. He said—Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen, if'
your illustrious guest, Mr. Stephenson, thought it
necessary to apologise for addressing an assemblage
of farmers, on the score that he was but young in the
craft, how much more necessary must it be for me to
apologise who am not a farmer at all. However, I
have been requested to propose a' toast—a request
which I the more readily accede to, inasmuch as the
sentiment I have selected is one which I am sure will
meet with a cordial response from every individual in
the room. It is " Prosperity to the Town and Trade
of Chesterfield."—(Applause.) Gentlemen, although
my toast is not immediately connected with the
objects of this association, yet I trust you will bear
with me if L venture to make one or two remarks

,AL

[PR7:I3B SD.

upon the state of your society, whose anniversary. we
are met to celebrate this day. My right-hand neigh-
bour,,,
in responding to the toast of " The Judges,
took occasion to advert to the panic which the late
and some previous legislative changes bad created
in the agricultural mind, and showed by nume-
rous instances, which he cited, these apprehen-
sions were without just foundation. But he went
on to show, that in order to compete success-
fully with foreigners, or to derive the just produce
of the land, under any circumstances, farms must
be better cultivated than they are at present. It is
of no use to complain cf the competition of foreigners,
until you have tried what you can do yourselves—
(llear, hear)—and as long as we hear the complaints
which we do on all sides, we must admit that the
farming of this country is by no means what it ought
to be. Well, then, having established that the farm-
ing is bad, we next come to ask what is in great mea-
sure the cause ? And here, without wishing to enter
upon any controversial or irritating topic, I must beg
you to look a little deeper below the surface than we
have hitherto done ; and I think I cannot enlist your at-
tention to this point better than by giving you the opi
nion of one who is much more entitled to your respect,
as an authority in these matters, than any opinion of
mine. What said my Lord Stradbroke, at a recent
meeting of the East Suffolk Association ? After
adverting to the altered state of the law as affecting
the whole agricultural community, and lamenting
over the vast tracts of land which we da'ly see imper-
fectly cultivated, the farm buildings dilapidated, the
tenantry in an obviously impoverished condition ; in
short, all betokening neglect----his Lordship goes on to
say, " The question then naturally arises—who is to
blame ? This is delicate ground ; but, however tin-
popular, I shrink nut from stating my opinion fear-
lessly—l trust not offensively. I say, then, that the
landlords are the chief culprits ; it is the landlords'
faults if the farms be not better cultivated. We may
call upon the occupier to improve the land, but can we
expect men of sense to expend their capital without some
guarantee—without the certainty of such continued
occupation as may secure both principal and interest
to the full extent of the sum expended?" This, gen-
tlemen, is Lord Stradbroke's opinion, and in alluding
to the remedy he points to the obvious one of leases.
And, gentlemen, when we talk of leases, don't suppose
I allude to those absurd, incomprehensible documents
abounding in useless restrictions, and worthy only of
an obsolete age, but to those simple intelligible in
struments (too rarely to be met with) which give the
tenant credit for common sense and competent skill
in the conducting of his business, whilst they preserve
intact the just rights and privileges of the landlord.
Such a lease, for example, as that taken by Mr.
Skirving, a well-known farmer, at Walton, near
Liverpool. Some six or seven years ago this gentle-
man applied to the owner of his farm for its occupa-
tion. The landlord knew that Mr. Skirving was both
a man of capital and skill, and, as such, he was aware,
would not enter on the occupation of the farm with-
out the security of a lease. Accordingly instruc-
tions were given to the attorney to draw one. But
when it was presented to Mr. Skirving for perusal,
it was so full of ridiculous directions and absurd re-
strictions, that he (Mr. Skirving) found it would be
quite hopeless to attempt to farm under it, and there-
fore refused to sign it. After a great deal of wrangling
and discussion, the landlord at last said, " Then take
the farm on your own conditions; draw up a lease
yourself, and I will sign it." The tenant did so, and
instead of a long incomprehensible document, pro-
duced a lease of six or eight lines. lie entered upon
the farm, and it is now known as the best cultivated
farm in the district, and an example to every one who
sees it. This, gentlemen, is the common-sense
method of going to work. All that an effective lease
requires is a general covenant that a tenant shall keep
his land clean, and in a good state of cultivation, with
a clause enabling the landlord to determine the lease,
if, upon arbitration, he shall be declared to have dila-
pidated the farm—and this, depend upon it, will be
found a much better protection than those verbose
and senseless documents to which I have alluded.
But, gentlemen, I have already trespassed too long on
your attention, and will conclude by again reverting
to my toast, and I have much pleasure in taking this
opportunity to associate with it the name of a gentle-
man for whom I have entertained, personally, much
respect, with whom, however, owing to some mutual
misapprehension, I have had some misunderstanding,
but which has since been mutually explained. I
mean the gentleman on my left, Lieut. Roberts.
Mr. ROBERTS returned thanks.
The company shortly afterwards separated.

CATHOLIC DEMONSTRATION IN

FAVOUR OF POPE PIUS.
Last night a densely crowded meeting of the Ca-
tholic inhabitants of the borough of Marylebone was
held at the Literary Institution, Edward-street, Port-
man-square, for the purpose of expressing their sym-
pathy with his Holiness Pope Pius IX., and to protest
against the aggressions of the Austrian Government
on the Roman States. Shortly before eight o'clocl,
the chair was taken by the Right Rev. Dr. Morris
Bishop of Troy, who addressed the meeting in it
speech of considerable length, and supported the
claims of Pope Pius on the confidence and admiration
of the Catholic community. The Right Rev. Prelate
eulogised the career of the Sovereign Pontiff, and
called upon the meeting to express, in language which
could not be misunderstood, their feelings with regard
to the iniquitous, tyrannical, and unjust attack which
had been made by the Austrian power on the rights
and privileges of Rome. The Rev. Mr. M'Neil pro-
posed, and Mr. E. W. O'Mahoney, an Irish bar-
rister, seconded the first resolution, which declared
that whilst they, as Catholics, acknowledge their
unbounded spiritual allegiance to his Holiness
Pope Pius IX., who so ably filled the papal
chair, they at the same time proclaimed their confi-
dence and admiration of his wisdom as a temporal
ruler, and sincere protector of religious and political
liberty and independence. The Rev. Mr. O'Neil and
Mr. Ward, author of "The Ideal of a Spiritual
Church," and formerly of Oxford University, were
the mover and seconder of the next resolution, "That
the efforts now being made by the Austrian powers
on the dominions of his Holiness, to check the pro-
gress of rational liberty promoted by Pope Pius IX..
and the occupation of the town of Ferrara by
Austrian troops, merited their unmitigated condemna-
tion and hostility." The Rev. Mr. Ivers proposed,
and Mr. F. Lucas seconded, the adoption of a resolu
Lion declaring the necessity for entering into a sub-
scription to aid the Pope in the further progress of
reform. It was also agreed that an address of sym-
pathy, founded on the resolutions, should be presented
to the Sovereign Pontiff. The fourth resolution,
laudatory of the conduct of the King of Sardinia and
Prince Leopold, Duke of Tuscany, in volunteering
their assistance to second the Pope's exertions, was
moved by T. P. Healey, Esq., and seconded by Ber-
nard Duffy, Esq. All the resolutions passed unani-
mously. A vote of thanks having been awarded to
the Chairman, the meeting separated.

DETERMINED SUICIDE THROUGH EXCESSIVE
mDeßrinchedantilsenclreyrk?eorge
committeda
DnixxiNci.—On Sunday evening, about six o'clock, a
young formerly man,
aHackett, w
desperateho waset
of suicide while labouring under intoxication. The de-
ceased was the sou of a gentleman of fortune, residing at
N. o. 24, Beaumont street, Mile-end, and had for some
time given much uneasiness to his family and friends
in
consequence of his dissipated habits. kahort time ago
his parents made him a present of a considerable sum of
money to enable him to make a country tour and to get
rid of his old associations, but .instead of quitting London
he commenced a course of intoxication. For continually
days preceding has he had been lmc_•st continuadi-
lly
intoxicated. On Sunday afternoon he frequently
his father's servant to fetch some brandy, and no
rected
sooner was the bottle emptied than it was replenished.
About six o'clock in the evening the deceased ordered
the servant to fetch more brandy, but his mother for-
bade her doing so, and told the girl to say that she was
engaged, On communicating the message to the de-
ceased, he said, " I'll soon settle that," and immediately
threw up the window of his room, on the third story
fronting the street, and precipated himself out. Ile fell
upon the pavement, and when he was raised from the
ground his body was in a mutilated condition. He
lingered for a few hours, and expired from the injuries
he had received. The unfortunate man was only 24
years of age.
MILITARY MOVEMENTS.—The first division of the
43d Light Infantry, for some months past quartered in
the garrison of Portsmouth, marched out under the
command of Major Ford, and left by the South- Western
Railway, en route to Newport, Wales. The head-
quarters division, consisting of three companies, will
leave this morning for the same destination, under the
command of Colonel Forlong, K.H., commandant of the
regiment ; and the remainder will leave to-morrow and
Thursday, under the commands of Majors Brune anti
Fraser. During their sojourn in the garrison of Ports-
mouth this gallant regiment has distinguished itself b)
its uniform good conduct and orderly behaviour, and
leaves highly respected by the inhabitants.
M. Frederic Soulie, the author of a great number
of very popular French novels, died on Thursday, after
a long illness, at Biavre, near Paris. On Saturday his
remains were transported from B evre to Paris. On
Monday, the 27th, the funeral ceremony was to take
place in the church of St. Elizabeth, Rue du Temple.
The committee of the Society of Men of Letters named
a deputation to attend the. funeral service
of the. M.S ocie ty o Salvand)t
was requested to speak the name
Men
of Letters, and M. Victor Hugo in the name of the
Dramatic Associatiou.