The Sun.
London, England, 1861-12-12 00:00:00

TILE DINNER.

Last evening the annual dinner of the Smithfield Cattle
Club was held at the Freemason's Tavern, Great Queen-
street, Lincoln's-inn-fields.
Lord Berners, the present president of the club, occupied
the chair, and was supported by the President-elect, Lord
Feversham, the Earl of Powis, Lord Tredegar, Mr. Fisher
Hobbs, Mr. H. Wilson (formerly member for West Suf-
folk), Mr. Jonas Webb, Mr. Itigden, Mr. Bennett, Mr.
Baker, Mr. Shelton, and other agriculturists.
The noble CHAIRMAN, in proposing "The Health of the '
Queen," referred to the American difficulty, and observed
that, although he believed the farmers of England were in
no way desirous that this country should enter into a war,
still he knew full well that, should a war be necessary, they
would be prepared to suffer any inconvenience in defence of
the honour and int-3grity of the fl tg of England. (Loud
applause, in the midst of which the toast was drunk.)
In proposing "The Health of his Royal Highness the
Prince Consort," the CHAIRMAN expressed his regret that
indisposition alone had prevented the show being honoured
this year by the presence of his Royal Highness. They all
knew, however, the deep interest he t tok in agriculture
generally, and therefore to the farmers of England such a
toast was most acceptable. (Cheers.)
Lord TIIEDEGAR proposed " the Army, Navy, and Vo-
lunteers," which was cordially responded to.
The noble CHAIRMAN said he had now to propose the
toast of the evening, " Success to the Smithfield Cattle
Club." (Applause.) On an occasion like that, when they
were about entering upon a new phase in their removal
from the present place of meeting to a new one, it was not
inappropriate to give a slight glance at the progress of their
institution. (Hear.) The Smithfield Club was established
in 1798, and in 18C0 it possessed about 50 members, but
even out of that small body grew the Royal Agricultural
Society of England in 1838. After the removal of the
Smithfield Club from Goswell-street to- the Baker-street
Bazaar its progress had been most rapid and its patronage
most gratifying. In 1846 and in 1850 their show was
honoured by the presence of Her Majesty the Queen, and
by the Empress of the French in 1860, and his Royal
Highness the Prince Consort became a member f the club
in 1841. It was found that the requirements of the club
outgrew the limits of the premises in Goswell-street, and it
was iu 1840 they removed to the place they now occupied in
Baker-street. They all knew how the show had increased
in extent, and the deep interest which the public took in
it year after year. They must have witnessed the
almost impossibility, in consequence of the crowded state
of the building, of visiting and examining with any plea-
sure or practical utility the cattle exhibited, and especially
of inspecting the articles displayed in the galleries.
(Hear.) It was gratifying to see the increasing interest
which had been taken in the show by the various classes
of the country. They saw there rich and poor, peer and
peasant, manufacturer and tradesman, and all alike anxious
to examine the contents of their exhibition. They were
now about to terminate the lease for the Baker-street
Bazaar, and to remove to a new building now in course of
erection by the Agricultural-hall Company,where he trusted
they would have a much larger amount of space allotted for
the various objects of their meeting, and where ho hoped,
and confidently believed, that still greater success would
attend the club. (Hear.) They this year distributed in
money prizes £1,343, and upwards of £l6O in medals. The
finances of the club were also, he was happy to say, in a
most flourishing condition, and there was possibly scarcely
any other society in the kingdom which could boast of the
fact that, instead of paying for the accommodation for their
annual cattle shows, they, the Smithfield Club, were to re-
ceive a sum of £l,OOO for holding their show at the new
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chairman concluded by proposing the toast, which was
drunk with great applause.

Lord FEVERSHAM proposed " The health of the Chair-
man," and said they all knew the very deep interest his
noble friend Lord Berners had always taken in the welfare
of agriculture. The Smithfield Club, under his guidance,
had prospered in a very great degree; and he had shown
his further zeal for the welfare of the club in obtaining the
removal of its annual meeting to ono much more capable of
accommodating its wants. Ho (Lord Feversham) had long
been struck with surprise at the circumstance that a society
of so much national importance as the Smithfield Club should
so many years have held its meetings in a place so utterly
inadequate to its requirements. (Hear, hear.) He trusted
that their meeting of next year would be held in that
splendid building of which his noble friend, the chairman,
laid the foundation-steno the other day—the new Agricul-
tural Hall. Objections had been raised that if the cattle
show of the club were removed from the west-end of the
metropolis it would lose its prestige and the support that it
now received from the west-end tradesmen. Ho (Lord
Feversham) had a pretty good acquaintance with west-end
tradesmenand shopkeepers,nheastatement.
and on making inquiries he
could not instance where there was any
foundation
(Hear, hear.) He hoped
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worthy of the club and the metropolis, (Rear, hear.) The