The Sun.
London, England, 1857-11-04 00:00:00

SIR BENJAMIN HAM AND THE WELSH

FA R mERe.

A few days ago Sir Benjamin Hall, M.P., the
Frst Commissioner of Works and Public Buildings,
on a visit to his seat at Llanover, in Monmouth-
shire, presided at the annual meeting and dinner of
the Abergavenny Agricultural Association, held in
that town. There was a well-contested ploughing
match in the early part of the day, awl an exhi-
bition of cattle and sheep, horses, implements, and
poultry. Prizes given by the Earl of Abergavenny,
Sir Benjamin Hall, and Colonel Clifford, M.P.,
were also awarded f r the best specimens of garden
culture, and for which there was a strong competi •
tion. The dinner, at which about 120 persons
were present, took place at the Angel Hotel, and
the company was composed chiefly of the neigh-
bouring gentry and farmers. The usual formal
toasts having been drunk,
Sir B. HALL said,—Having gone through, the
general routine of toasts, I will now propose the
toast of the evening • and, as it is usual on all
similar occasions for the person who fills the chair
to make some prefatory remarks in introducing the
sentiment of prosperity to the association over
which he presides, I will endeavour to make some
observations which shall be brief iu character, avoid-
ing as much as possible the exampla set by some
other gentlemen who preside at meetings similar to
this, and endeavouring directly. io confine myself
to the object in view. I shalt eschew all political
observations, because they are not only distasteful'
to myself, but are neither congenial nor apposite to
the occasion which has brought us together. We
have heard from the judges this evening that they
are well satisfied with the progress which this in-
stitution has made, and they have expressed their
approbation, not only of the stock and crops,
but also of the ploughing whic'i they have
witnessed. Now, I have lived in this county
all my life, and I have a great stake and in-
terest in it. I have watched the progress of
civilisation, of manufacture, and of agriculture,
and I am quite sure that no country has made
greater advances in agriculture during my lifetime
than this. I will tell you an anecdote that I heard
my father relate very often. About 45 years
ago he endeavoured to persuade his tenantry in
the hilly district to grow turnips, that their sheep
and cattle might eat them. He was told in very
strong and emphatic language by the inhabitants of
the district that a Welsh sheep would not look at
a turnip, and would scorn to eat one. (A. laugh.)
The difficulty was to overcome that prejudice and
induce the people to grow turnips in order that
their sheep might eat them and prosper more. He
took the wisest course. We are all Welshmen here,
and I should not be speaking disrespectfully—being
one of them—if I say that it is of no use whatever
to drive a Welshman. You may lead him, but it
is impossible to drive him ; and, moreover, it is
always better to use persuasion than compulsion,
and to appeal rather to a man's good sense than
endeavour to force him to do that which is con-
trary to his own wishes and prejudices. This re-
minds me that a circumstance occurred the other

day which annoyed me very much. I happened
to make a road through a part of my estate at
Abercarne, and I found there a remarkably fine
beech tree ; but its fine silvery bark had proved too
strong a temptation to the knives of the idlers, who
had inscribed their names, perhaps those of their
loves, upon the tree. It was perfectly covered with
all kinds of hieroglyphics, which offended my eye.
As to putting up a notice that mantraps or spring
guns were laid to prevent Welshmen from cutting
the tree, I knew that would be useless ; so I put
up a notice, written both in Welsh and Eng-
lish, "None but fools will inscribe their names
upon this tree.'' (A laugh.) Thus appealing to
their good sense, and they not wishing to be in-
cluded in the category of fools, my tree now remains
unmolested by every gentle swain, and no rustic
Villikens has since attempted to address his Divah
by writing upon it. (Laughter.) But that is
rather a digression, and we will go back to the
turnips. My father was determined to convince
his tenants that Welsh sheep would eat turnips ;
so, on the top of a hill, on the very highest
point of his estate, he had a very fine field of
turnips. It was walled round, and a strong fence
was put on the top of the wall, with a kind of che-
vaux de frise to prevent those very amiable quad-
rupeds, the Welsh sheep, from getting over and
destroying the crop. Well, the turnips grew, and
winter came ; the sheep began to flock about the
roads, and the chevatix de friss was taken down.
Over jumped the Welsh sheep—(a laugh)—and of
he pounded all the sheep. That was a very heinous
t fih
ea
ltdt this was
was.fi lfill
etdh we
ictahs et,h Lind
wasafelwanaddpalpyorrsidstehtdeo commit towards his ten-
ants, and
scaeetlifineor rabe put a very high price upon the dam-
age that had been done. They complained very
much about it, but he begged to assure them that
the business did not concern them ; that it could
hn
uponaodt be t
thet
it he
desirede
wordir
sheep
and
honour of Welshnsen that their
sented to have thatff were pounded ; for he had it
sheep would not so much as look at a turniper. This
u sciencesP ° n
th
e the o wWnteehlrseesh d
se
be
et , e
pa nrdo
laeta s loads t
fmr
oymf at thhepe .rp 0 cuound-
growing at Abercas
laugh.) That was the commencement of turnip-
growing ceelea.pr i
crn DoeNuvl tedh amt eat otnu r
nt hi
pesi
.r c o(nA-
iadyge shooting.
We later date when I went partr .
We wanted a
field of turnips,n but the dif-
ficulty was to find find one we alwaysne.
had ogowoedver, sport,wh enforwe
did
it
was excessively foul, and we generally knew it
more by its beautiful yellow tinge than by the
green it ought to show ; and when we got the
partridges into the turnips we always had better
sport, because, instead of running into the straight
lines made by the drills, they went through the
tortuous windings of broadcast, which made it
better for us, but not so well for the farmer.
(Laughter.) Now we can find in the county as
good fields of turnips as any in Norfolk or Lincoln-
shire, owing to the stimulus given to agriculture by
societies such as these, and the desire thus created
among farmers to compete with those in the
more favoured districts. (Cheers.) lam happy
to think that this society goes on improving.
Although I have long been a subscriber,
this is the first time I ever had the honour
of being present at one of these meetings ;
and it may very naturally be asked, " Why
is it that you, a landed proprietor in the county,
and who have an important stake in agriculture,
have not been present at these meetings before 1"
For the last three years, owing to various circum-
stances, it has been impossible for me to be present.
I allude to duties of a high character which I have
to perform; and previously I would not attend these
meetings because I might be looked upon rather
as a black sheep in the flock. ("Ne, no.") Ido not
allude to this particular meeting, but there are
meetings held in the kingdom of this description,
where a person cannot enter unless he is what is
called a "farmer's friend;" that is, unless he happens
to hold some peculiar political tenets ; and as I do
not and never did hold those opinions, rather than
throw the apple of discord into the society I stayed
away from compt fot ninyiixn, whichfoelio
feeling certain
ceshouldrtain havetviat btehen
deaxy-
when political opinions would be
when all this nousence would
my place among the farmers of this
aonndsuch occasions and I should be able to
happy
arrive
tewemreooeeamutrsegeleede,
country. (Cheers.) Although entertaining strong
opinions on certain points, it would ill becoine
me to obtrude them here ; and I hope that during
May we never have meetings like this
the time I have been in this chair I have, by re-
fraining from so doing, set an example that will be
ex-
tremely
take
upon by matters of that character,_ and
ofmoblatlyro
effort be to
eonseuppliedsupport the toss`, " Pros-
perity to the Abergave_nny Agricultural Assoeia-
tion. ' (Cheers.) At a later period of the evening
Sir Benjamin, in responding to the toast of his
with every information that
health, gave a general invitation to the inspection
of his farm, and promised that those who came
a desert waste into a fruitful
could be given- Within the last six years he said
should
source of product', and where briars and furze and
he had converted
rank weeds grew they night recently have seen
corn growing in abundance, and might now see the
stacks of corn which did grow there ; and they
would see, too, as good fields of turnips as any that
had been entered for competition this year. Of
course this had been a matter of cost and thought
and toil ; but during the time when it pleased God
to visit him with a great MTh ctio t--during the time
he was deprived of si;ht, and while be was
unable to take part in the healthful pursuits he be-
lore enjoyed—to go across the country, or stalk a
stag, or knock over a grouss—farming became his
pursuit, had ever
and since been his pleasure up to
the present time. And when he was relieved
from the more anxious duties which belonged to his
position it was a pleasure to come down to Lien-
over • and if, by means of the example he had set
he had' done any good in his sphere he was thankful
for it, and he hoped that that example, as far as it
was good, might be followed by others and be bens.
finial to them. If what he had done could Denude