The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-13 00:00:00

lyal Agric'

of England,

Yesterday the general annual meeting of mem-
bers was held at the society's house, Hanover-square.
Mr. H. S. Thompson occupied the chair ; and among
those present were Lord Walsingham, Lord Berners,
the Earl of Shrewsbury, Lord Tredegar, Sir M.
Lopes, M.P., Mr. E. Holland, M.P., Mr. C. S.
Read, M.P., Mr. T. D. Acland, M.P., Sir W. Stir-
ling, General Hood, Mr. Banks Stanhope, Dr. Crisp,
Captain Thompson, and Messrs. William Lawson,
W. Torr, J. B. Thompson, Mandreth Gibbs, H. de
Vitre, James Caird, T. Duckham, Finlay Dun,
H. W. Freeland, and J. C. Moore Stevens.
Mr. H. HALL DARE, secretary, read the annual
report. It contained the following statements :
During the last half-year six governors and 114
members have died, while one governor and 32
members have been elected, so that the list now
comprises 76 life-governors, 82 annual governors,
1,380 life members, 3,972 annual members, and 15
honorary members, making a total of 5,525. The
funded capital has been reduced by the sale of
£l,OOO Stock, and now stands at £18,027 in the
New Three per Cents. This is owing partly to the
appropriation of a considerable sum to a thorough
investigation into the results of the cultivation of
the soil by steam-driven machinery in various parts
of the country: To this latter object the council
determined to devote a sum not exceeding £l,OOO,
and notwithstanding the wet autumn considerable
progress has been made in the inquiry, the result of
which will be fully made known in the first number
of the Journal for next year. The implements for
which prizes will be given in the ensuing year con-
sist of fixed and portable steam engines, Fixed and
portable thrashing machines, finishing machines, and
pressing machines, barley hummellers, chaff cutters,
mills, crushers, oil cake breakers, bone mills, turnip
cutters, and field gates; aud, as a period of fouryears
will have elapsed since the trial of some of these
classes of implements, it is to be anticipated that
many improvements will be exhibited. The country
meeting next year will be held in the week com-
mencing Monday, the 15th of July. Prizes to the
amount of £2,925 are offered by the society for live
stock, and £430 for implements, while £570 are
added by the Suffolk Agricultural Society and the
Local Committee. It is also proposed to offer £2OO
in prizes for poultry, the eastern counties having
long been famous for their success in this depart-
ment. The Education Committee have followed out
the scheme of prizes offered in the last report in con-
nexion with the Oxford Local Examinations, and
have made awards of prizes. (There are two lists,
containing 35 names, the amounts ranging from £1
to £7.) The whole number of candidates was 45.
With regard to the Cambridge Local Examinations
to be held during the present month, the council
have determined upon offering prizes for the same
subjects as before. Seventy-four candidates are
entered for these prizes. Of these 21 are seniorsand
45 are juniors ; while 10 are entered for the special
prizes in mechanics and, chemistry applied to agri-
culture, of whom two are also entered among the
seniors. The council also offer (besides the fore-
going prizes) one senior scholarship of £5O, and
four junior scholarships of £2O, to be competed for
at the ensuing Cambridge Local Examinations in
December, 1866, limited to sons of tenant farmers,
or of owners, if not exceeding 500 acres, occupying
their own laud. While heartily uniting with the
whole kingdom in the thanksgiving for the abate-
ment of the cattle plague, the council are at the
same time sensible of the importance of continuing
many of the existing restrictions on the traffic in
live stock, and with this view have instructed a de-
putation to wait on the Lords of the Privy Council
to draw their attention to the following points :-
Ist, the importation of foreign cattle; 2d, the re-
opening of fairs and markets ; and 3d, the necessity
of extending the time during which the powers
granted to the Privy Council under the Acts of the
last Session may be exercised. With respect to
the first point the council believe that the exist-
ing restrictions are probably sufficient for the pre-
sent, but that unless they are made perma-
nent, it will not be considered worth while
to erect lairs for the purpose of carrying out
regulations which may be only of a temporary
nature, and that consequently such as relate to qua.
rantine will become inoperative. The constant
presence of the disease in various parts of the Con-
tinent makes it extremely proba.!)le that, except
under very stringent regulations, the disease will
frequently be re-importei, an 1 they b:lieve that it
will eventually be found that nothing short of per-
manent regulations for killing animals intended for
slaughter at the ports at which they are landed will
prevent its introduction, and that with respect to
store cattle, the regulations should be of such a per-
manent character as will lead to the provision of
suitable buildings for carrying out an efficient sys-
tem of quarantine. With respect to the second and
third points the council think considerable danger
will be incurred by re-opening fairs and markets at
the present time, except under the restriction of im-
mediate slaughter, and they wish to call the atten-
tion of the Government to the importance of ob-
taining, if necessary, additional Parliamentary
powers, so that the trade in cattle may be placed
upon such a footing as may ensure the greatest
amount of security to owners of cattle, and that at
the same time the dealers and importers may know
under what restrictions the trade is to be carried
on, and be encouraged to provide such
appliances
as may enable them to conduct their business with
the least possible incnlvenience to themselves and
the smallest risk to and interference with public
interests.

Mr. CALDWELL moved and Mr. ELLMAN seconded
the adoption of the report, which was agreed to.
The CHAIRMAN then delivered an address. He
said that last year at this time the council were
exerting themselves to induce the Government to
adopt stringent regulations for preventing the
movement of cattle generally, and for killing those
attacked by the cattle plague. The council's reso-
lutions were substantially embodied in the Cattle
Diseases Prevention Act; and, looking to the check
it gave to the plague, and to its subsequent rapid
and continuous decline, few persons now ques-
tioned the soundness of the policy which had been
pursued. The cattle plague had been brought within
such a narrow compass that we might reasonably
hope soon to see it extinguished. While its disas-
trous effects were still fresh in our memories we
should not allow our attention to be diverted from
the true character and results of this calamity until
such regulations be permanently adopted—be made,
in fact, part of the law of the land—as may give us
all the security against its recurrence which the na-
ture of the case would admit of. (Hear.) Having
shown how much more the disease had spread on
this occasion than it had done in the last century,
he estimated that the national loss caused by the
last visitation could not be less than £3,000,000--a
loss which might have been prevented if we had not
been too proud to profit by the experience of this
and other nations. He compared the returns for

July, 1865, and September, 1866, with those for
September, 1865, and November, 1866, to show
that the 4i stamping out" principle applied to new
centres of infection reduced the number of animals
attaed, Hethat then discountenanced the notion
the diaease had worn itself out, or bad become
less •
intense or contagious, observing that through-
out the whole of the visitationh the nature and cha-
racter of the attacks been remarkably uniform,
and that the disease had shown itself as contagious
and fatal in the latest
at the commence-
ment. If the provisions of esthoaseatitle Diseases Pre-
vention Act were not renewed, they
next June, or at the end of the NV 0 uld expire
of-
liament, and on any outbreak of the session
Pay-
ment would have to be called together, ore P..lia,r, or, if then
sitting, the tedious process of passing a bill throughboth hour' would have to be incurred before
any
l.
effective measures could be. taken, aryl
assuredly have agaie to pay dearly for our Want
of foresight. The importation of foreign cattle
should be permanently placed on a safe footing.
(fear, hear.) The whole character of this trade
had been changed by the continued extension of
railways on the continent of Europe, occurring as it
had done simultaneously with a great increase in
the price of cattle in the English markets. These
two causes combined mado it answer to the impor-
ter to bring cattle from much greater distances, and •