The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-23 00:00:00

Royal Agricultural Society of England.

The general meeting of this society was held at
12, Hanover-square, yesterday, under the presidency
of Lord Tredegar,
The report of the council, of which the following
are dxtracts, was read to the meeting :—" The coun-
cil have to report that since last December the so-
ciety have lost by deaths andresignations 1 governor
and 308 members ; while 1 life governor and 57
members have during the same period been enrolled
on its list, which is now constituted as follows :-79
life governors, 84 annval governors, 1,395 life mem-
bers, 4,019 annual members, 15 honoiary members
—making a total of 5,622. The funded capital
_stands_ at_119.114-6 in the New Three er
Cents., and -the 'Ciish balance in the handso t e
bankers on Ist inst. was £1,424 is. 9d. Since last
general meeting, the council, impressed with the ne-
cessity of continuing their exertions in promoting
measures calculated to arrest the progress of the
cattle plague, resolved itself- into a standing com-
mittee, and on Feb. 12 had an interview with Earl

Russell, and submitted to him several resolutions
which had been agreed to by the council. The coun-
cil, as such committee; have since up to the present
time held several meetings for considering this sub-

ject, and have forwarded communications to the
Privy Council with the following recommendations,
pointing out the extreine importance of establishing
permanent means for tnd compelling the slaughter
of all foreign fat stock at the place of disembarka-
tion ; and also by an efficient system of quarantine
applied to store animals, and by stringent restric-
tions upon the purchasers stock after they are libe-
rated from such quarantine, to protect the public as
far as possible from the risk of infection caused by
the importation of foreign cattle,; and, further, that
no exception be made as regards the Metropolitan
Market. The council have since recommended—
,l. That in the opinion of the council it is
highly desirable that the provisions of the
Cattle Diseases Prevention Act, authorising the
compulsory slaughter of animals suffering from the
rinderpest, and the warding of compensation to
their owners, should be extended for a period of at
least six months. 2. That the attention of the Go-
vernment be called to the complaints that are made
that the Orders in Council are in some districts in-
efficiently carried out.' The application of steam
to the-cultivation of the soil has received the careful
consideration of the Council, and they consider that
the time has now arrived when an attempt should
be made to arrive at the results which have been
obtained by its use on different soils and in different
localities. With this object they have appointed a
central committee, composed of members of the
Council from every distKict in England, to conduct
a complete inquiry. Inspection committees will
visit such farms as the central committee may select
for inspection. To assist them in their investiga-
ions, paid secretaries will be attached to each in-
spection committee. A sum of £5OO has been voted
for the purpose of carrying out this investigation.
The proceedings of the education committee with
regard to the prizes offered in connexion with the
last Cambridge local examination are detailed at
full length in the last number of the Journal; and
the committee are following out similar plans to
those therein detailed with regard to the ensuing
Oxford local examinations. The Council have also
authorised the education committee to offer prizes
in connexion with the Cambridge local examinations
for 1866. The country meeting at Bury St. Ed-
mund's having been postponed to 1867 in conse-
quence of the prevalence of the cattle plague, a
meeting will be held in the neighbourhood of
in accordance with the
provisions London,
merely
of the
advertised. Papers have been read at the weekly
meetings of the society by the Right lion. Earl
Cathcart and by Professor Simonds on the cattle
pßro Royal charter,
and will be duly
plague, and by Dr. Voelcker on agricultural expe-
riments in the field."

Sirmoved the adoption of the
report,
MAXWELL
remarkedthat it was a matter of deep
i
andiu
congratulationGii that the cattle plague was passing
away.
Dumfriesshire, it was
miete Iln y his
got
rid own
of. °4
.
The resolution having been seconded,
Mr. Ancumt said the Council had not done its duty
in reference to the cattle plague, the rinderpest hav-
caoclltY'
ing been far advanced before any action was taken.
One of the clauses in the charter required the total
exclusion of all questions at its meetings of a politi-
cal tendency or having reference to measures pend-
ing or to be brought in either House of Parliament,
but if that stood in the way of the society keeping
pace with the times he thought the charter should be
revised.

Mr. EDMUNDS thought that, instead of offering
prize afterprize for ploughs and winnowing machines,
the money should be expended on things in which
there was greater room for improvement. He com-
plained that the Royal Society did not stand in re-