The Sun.
London, England, 1859-07-16 00:00:00

MEETING OF THE ROYAL

TURAL SOCIETY.

WARWICK, Friday Afternoon.
The annual meeting of members of the society
was held at 10 o'clock this forenoon, at the Shire-
hall—Lord Walsingham, the president elect, in the
chair. The attendance was not large. The noble
president read a letter from the Duke of Marl-
borough, retiring president, apologising for the
absence of his grace in consequence of his parlia-

mentary duties-.
Mr. SIDNEY regretted that the annual meeting
should be held at such an inconvenient day and hour,
when those who should attend were either packing
up or had gone. It was expected, when the dinner
was done away with, that there would be substi-
tuted for it some gathering where the prizes would
be deliverel and the members and the council

would have an opportunity of meeting and of con.
sidering any suggestions which might be made.
This course, however, had not been followed, and
there was no ground for surprise that dissatisfac-
tion should be expressed, and that a conviction
should prevail that, with all their acknowledged
success in one department, sufficient progress had
not been made in others connected with the inte-
rest which they represented. Whenever any indi-
vidual stood up in those meetings to offer any
suggestion, however important, he was generally
told by some gentleman in office that the introduc-
tion of the subject was contrary to their charter,
that they had no funds at their disposal for
the particular object which might be in ques-
tion, or some reasons equally unsatisfactory
to the vast body of the members. They
had heard that the secretary had been dismissed,
that the finance committee had resigned, and that
they had received a vote of thanks. They had been
informed, moreover, that a deficiency of £2,000 in
the funds of the society had been discovered, and
that it had existed for a period of four years. This
matter had been within the jurisdiction of the
finance committee, and he could not learn that there
had been any professional investigation of the ac-
counts during the four years, so that they were by
no means certain that the deficiency was not greater
than it was represented to be at the present time.
It did not matter much whether the funds at their
disposal were £l,OOO more or less, but the great
thing was that when a deficiency of £2,000 was dis-
covered the money should not disappear without the
members knowing anything about it. It was not to
be wondered at that a society like that should expe-
rience a loss of £2,000, but he did think that when a
member had any remarks to make upon the finan-
cial arrangements they should not be regarded as
impertinent. He had not one word to say against
their external management; it was highly success-
ful, but it was a reproach to their internal manage-
ment to say that with farmers infinitely more in-
telligent and enterprising than they were a number
of years ago the number of their members was not
greater. The society did not do enough to conciliate
the practical men, and in its working. the represen-
tative principle, on which all the institutions of
this country was founded, was not carried out. The
council wanted an infusion of new blood. It con-
tained 21 peers, 29 sons of peers, baronets, and
county members, 12 squires ; five lawyers, who had
not attained to the dignity of squires, but hoped,
no doubt, to do so some day ; four engi-
neers and implement makers, one honorary member,
and 12 breeders of stock. The breeders were cer-
tainly well represented, but there was not a single
practical farmer. Their Wednesday's meetings
were much less useful than they ought to be, for
no notice of the business to be brought forward
was given, and no reporters were admitted to com-
municate the results to the public. Sometimes a
notice of important proceedings did not appear for
twelve or fifteen months after they had taken
place. If the meetings were rendered more con-
ducive to the interests o the society and the public,
the number of valuable papers would be largely in-
creased. He thought the time had arrived when
the society should endeavour to accomplish
something like an agricultural survey of
the kingdom. The council should draw up a ser es
of questions for the purpose of ascertaining what
progress had been made in the several departments of
implements, stock, and cultivation during the 20
years since the society was established, and that
they should publish a summary of the information
thus obtained at the end of 12 months.
Lord BERNERS moved, and Sir W. W. WYNN
seconded a vote of thanks to the Mayor and Corpo-
ration of Warwick for the services which they had
rendered to the society in connection with the
meeting.
The motion was passed unanimously.
Lord LEIGII proposed a vote of thanks to the
railway companies for the facilities which they had
afforded for holding the meeting.
The proposition was seconded by Mr. CHANDOS
WREN HOSKYNS, and passed without one dissen-
tient.
Mr; HUMBERSTON, M.P., proposed a vote of
thanks to the local committee, which was seconded
by Mr. MILWARD, and passed by acclamation, the
compliment being acknowledged by Lord Leigh.
Thanks were voted to his Grace the Duke of
Marlborough for his services as president, on the
motion of Mr. Jonas Webb, seconded by Mr.
Sidney.
Mr. BARNETT, one of the stewards for cattle,
proposed a vote of thanks to the judges, and in
doing so promised, as an old member of the council,
that the suggestions of Mr. Sidney- should receive
his candid and careful consideration.
The motion was seconded by Mr. SMITH, and
unanimously adopted.
A cordial vote of thanks was passed to Mr.
Brandreth Gibbs for his invaluable services, and
thanks were also voted to the noble president.
With reference to the suggestions of Mr. Sidney,
Mr. CALDWELL said that although he was dis-
posed to back them up, he doubted whether prac-
tical farmers could be induced to attend the meet-
ings of the council.
The exhibition closed this evening at six o'clock.
The attendance, owing to the circumstance alluded
to by Mr. Lowe in the foregoing proceedings, was
below the average.

THE LATE SUICIDE AT CHARLTON.—Last even-
ing the inquest on the body of Mr. William E. Durand
Cumming, the circumstances of whose melancholy suicide
were reported in The Sun on Monday last, was resumed at
the Bugle horn Tavern, Charlton. The coroner having
summed up, the jury returned a verdict to the effect that
the deceased destroyed himself while in an unsound state
of mind.
SUICIDE BY AN OFFICER'S WIDOW.—An inquest
was held yesterday at the Elephant and Castle, Camdeß-
town, on the body of Mrs. Rice, the widow of an officer
who fell at Inkerman. She resided in the Albert-road,
Camden-town, and had been for some time in a depressed
state because her pension did not allow her to bring up two
young daughters in the manner they had been accustomed
to. On Wednesday she left home, saying she shoas found
s•on
be back, and on the following morning her body w
floating in the Regent's-canal. A letter was discovered in
her chamber, addressed to her daughters. It was of a most
pathetic nature. The following is a literal copy :—" My
ever beloved children—Your poor mother's heart is broken„
for how can I do justice to your education and future wel-
fare with my pittance ? They say God is good, and so He
is ; but my mind sinks under the idea that you, my dear
girls, should be lost. When you receive this I shall be nc
more. Forgive me, as I hope the Almightly will.—Your
distracted mother, J. L. Rim" The jury returned a ver-
dict of temporary insanity.
SUICIDE OF A HAMBURG MERCHANT.—Yesterday
another inquest was held at the same place, on the body of
Mr. William Osborne, aged 74, a merchant, who destroyed
himself. Augustus Alphonso Osborne, the son of the de-
ceased, said he resided, since coming from Germany, in
Addington-villas; Camden-town. He was of very sober
habits. The deceased's trading transactions abroad were
very extensive, and his means were ample. He had lately
complained of his head, and said he was afraid that he
should not be able to meet all his business transactions,
owing to hic health being so very bad. On Wednesday he
wrote many letters, but still he appeared very..unsettled;
On Thursday morning he was discovered suspended by his
neckerchief to a rail of his bedstead, and life was quite ex-
tinct. The above evidence was corroborated by other mem-
bers of his family, and the jury returned a verdict of tem-
porary insanity.