The Sun.
London, England, 1856-08-08 00:00:00

MIDLAND.

It appears that a dividend at the rate of 4 per cent.
per annum for the half-year ending the 30th of June is
to be declared, leaving 3,0001. over for the next hall year.

STOCKTON AND DARLINGTON RAILWAY.— The directors
recommend a dividend at the rate of 9 per cent, on the
ordinary stares.

THE HIGHLAND AGRICULTURAL
SOCIETY OF SCOTLAND.

INVERNESS, AUG. 5.

France and England have had their agricultural exhi-
bitions ; Scotland follows with her great biennial show.
It was meet that she should make a vigorous effort to
maintain her character as the parent of agricultural in-
stitutions, and the exhibition now in the first stage of its
progress gives good promise that her sanguine expecta-
tions will be realised. The fine old town is getting fast
filled with visitors from all parts of the kingdom ; the
show-yards are receiving their complement of imple-
ments ; Balls and Routs are being planned, and the sun
is just dispelling a Scotch mist to pour a flood of golden
beams on the people's gala-day. The hotels are all en-
gaged, private lodgings are either occupied or bespoken,
accommodation is being extemporised, and already as
much as half a-guinea is being asked for a comfortable
bed.

While the implements are being arranged for the first
day's exhibition, we may glance at the rise and progress
of the society, premising a few facts connected with the
early history of agriculture in Scotland.
Uader the feudal system Scotland bad no agriculture.
Patches of land were cultivated in the rudest possible
manner ; the people lived from hand to mouth, land
being to the chiefs not a source of revenue, but of power.
Her union with England intro,luced a new era, and
whatever indignities might have been done to her " Red
Lion," her material interests were thereby greatly sub•
served.

In 1695 Parliament passed two statutes, which laid
the foundation of Scottish agriculture. The one pro-
vided for the division of commons, the other for the se-
paration of property occupied as runrig and rundate.
Intermixed property thus became disentangled ; land
was let out on lease, to be held in severalty and in con-
tiguous portions, and occupancy was based o❑ the prin-
ciple that the soil ought to be cultivated for the benefit
of society, rent being the surplus value, under a deduc-
tion of the farmer's profits.
In the low countries agriculture in the course of time
became a science, and the proprietor of the land was
himself the first and best farmer. In 1723 the proprie-
tors formed themselves into an association, under the
title of "The Society of Improvers in the Knowledge of
Agriculture in Scotland," and published their transac-
tions. 300 of the principal landholders of Scotland were
members of this society, but it lasted only 20 years.
Political troubles intervened, until Culloden•inuir, over
which we passed yehterday with the iron steel, saw the
close of a conflict which brought Scotland to herself

Lain.
Political asperities had just begun to disappear, when
the Duke of Argyll and a few other sagacious noblemen
set themselves again to promote agriculture. They had
in view also the encouragement of habits of industry
"and various occupations among the population of the
Highlands. The Highland Society of Scotland was then
formed. In 1787 it received a royal charter, and in
1789 Parliament voted 3,0001. out of the moneys paid
on restitution of forfeited estates to be applied in " in-
quiries into the' state of the highlands and islands of
Scotland, and in promoting improvements by advancing
agriculture, and in introducing useful trades and manu-
factures into that part of the kingdom."
A new impetus was given to agriculture, and within
a period of 20 years 500 volumes of one sort or other on
tbe subject were published. the Highland Society, in-
stead of using up the Government grant, invested the
money on heritable security, and thereby realised an
annual revenue of 100/; to 1201. Premiums were then
offered for the best essays on the general management
of black cattle, farms, enclosures, cereal and green crops,
&c., and for the improvement of waste land. In 1824
a veterinary college was instituted, and subsequently a
department of analytical chemistry was added to the
nstitation.
In 1834 another charter was obtained for the society
by which its constitution was enlarged, under the deno-
mination of the Highland and Agricultural Society of
Scotland, and soon after tenant-farmers, who had now
grown to be a very important class in the agricultural
community, were admitted as members for 10s. a-year.
They constituted a most valuable acquisition to the
society, and their admission had also tbe happy effect
of bringing landlord and tenant into frequent and pro-
fitable intercourse with each other. Monthly discus.
sions of agricultural subjects were estab ished, and the
Transactions being published, the association soon pos-
sessed a literature which gave to it more than a Euro-
pean reputation.
The annual income of the society having greatly in-
creased from the subscriptions of members, if not from
other sources. a system of agricultural exhibitions was
organised. The first show was held at Edinburgh,
where the permanent staff rf the society resided, in the
year 1822. Since then 30 summer shows have been
held, besides a number of winter exhibitions for fat
stock ; and so successful were they that the Royal Agri•
cultural Society of England and the Royal Agricultural
lociety of Ireland were organised after the same model
and with similar results, while local associations sprung
up all over Scotland and in some parts in England, hav-
ing the same object to subserve. The membership of
this society has increased to upwards of 3,000, of whom
700 are tenant-farmers. The amount of premiums h•:ls
advanced from 78/. in 1822, to 1,000/. in 1859, and the
entries of stock have risen in proportion, as will be seen