The Sun.
London, England, 1810-01-19 00:00:00

HIGHLAND SOCIETY OF SCOTLAND.

The Anniversary General lYleeting of this Society,
in terms Ur. rhe.charter, was held on Tuesday se'n-
night 4 at.which there was -a very re-
vet:table attendance of its Members, to the number
of 120 among others were--,.
The Right Hon. the Earl of Leven' and Melville,
Lord Ashburton,-Lord Seilbrth, -General the Hon.
Joh., Les.,-, Hon Mar emir: art, lion. Archi,
.bald M .crionala: a S. North Douglas,
Lord. tiannatype, Ja;nes Gordon, Sir George
Mackentie, Sir George Stewart, Sir John Sinclair,
rtr.cl Sir W. G. Cumming Gordon, Baroneri ; Ma-
jor7Gvnerals Robertsun and Graham Stirling, with.
many Gelltlemen of eite..sive land: d properly, and
reapetiabie .amen of the law, military, cbm-
=trig interests,
Riallc I+l-n. the Earl of LEvJN and VlELvsz,i.s, Vice-

President in office, in the ,Chair.

Before proceeding to other business, Mr. Mac-
donald, Treasurer; staled, that he had received
a letter from his Grace the Duke of 'Athol% Presi-
dent of the' Society, expressing his regret at being
prevented from .ittending the Society on this ocea-
*lon, by itm-..eltant business in :the. country. His
Grace at the. time ~'xpresseil the warm
rest he took in the pros!,erity of the Society, and his
desire to promote its patrioti.. views.
Society then proceeded tO ballot fur new
members, .ben several Noblemen and *Gentlemen
were duly admitted members of the Society, in-
cluding—
The Earl of Fingal, James Lord Ruthven, Lord
Ashburton, the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Sir
John Anstruther, M. P. Hon. Frederick Silvester,
North Douglas, of Glenbcrvje,. &c.
And, on motion, William Smith, Esq. Mem-
ber of Parliament fir Norwich. :waii unanimously,
and with much apprebatiob, eleLled an 'honorary
member of the Society, on account of the uniform
active and zealous exertions of that respectable
Gentleman, in promoting the improvements and in-
terests of this part of the United kingdom, patticu.
hrly in his capacities of one of the Parliamentary
Commissioners for the Highland Roads ard Bridges,
and Deputy-Goverpor of the British SOciety fur
Fisheries; Mr. Smith, for the purpose if more el.
feaually forwarding these important objects; having
twice travelled through the North and West High-
lands of Scotland.

The Secretary then submitted to the considera-
tion of the Society the proceedings of their Di-
reeo7.-s since the General Meeting in June :ast, and
the, premiums voted by them for raisng green
cr s, .itonroving w.iste lands,. meliorating the
breeii ar ;%lack cattle, and im.provVg the art of
ploiy,hing, by comeetiticns of Ploughmen in various
distil:. is, and for other objects.; also to the authors
cif ~ss.,vs of !.!irferent subiect.s, such as ihe best
means Of introducing into Scotland a knowledge of
the. stapling cf wool as a trade,' the management
of woods arrd plant: nods, The Meeting op-
proved of the nlinued exertions of the DirectorS
in promoting the objects of the and
were gratified to find, that every attention been
givet, b; he, conveners and the Memb. rs of the
in the country, to the ;coughing
and black cattle competitions in the different dis-
tricts. A list of these preinnams, and tie persons
to whom they had' been adjudged, was dire( t, d to
be published in the newspapers, in the usual man-
ner ; and as it appeared thar a number of essays
and communications, containing useful • informs-
tion on various subjects, had been received since the
publication of the third volume of the Societ)'s
Transactions in 1807, the Altering rocotnended
the Directors to prepare and publish a fourth vo-
lume as speelly as possible.
Mr MActsoNALDs. the Treasurer, congratulated
the Society upon it flourishing state, and increase
"of its funds, as recapitulated by him, and as ap-
peared from an accurate state thereof, prepared by
Mr. Wilson, accountant in Edinburgh, the Society's
auditor of accounts, upon the table; and on'the
Treasurer's motion, the thanks of the Meeting were
unaniniensly voted to Mr. Wilson, for the trouble
he takes in the Society's affairs, without fee or re-
ward, and ti e perspicuous view given .by hina of
the funds of the Socieiy,,its income, and its expen-
cliture, atter a minute examination of the CoPector's
accounts of recoveries and payments, with The book
kept with the Royal Batik of Scotland,
.where &I the
cash transact ions of the
,Sociey are kept. - From the
liberal supportwbich the Society continues to receive
from-the Noblemen and Gentlemen of Scotland,
and even from other parts of the empire, as this
day's ballot evinces, the Meeting-was e.tlablett to vote
a larger 8-mil than usual to be laid out by tie!
Direc-
tors in encouraging proper abjeas of improyeinent in
the year
,18 10. ,
On the motion of the-Treasurer front the Com-
mittee: ofDire6tor4; and litaring several
with' •.f 'to the great . benefit:rendered to the •
agricultural and fanning ireerest of Scotland; by
Mr. Andrew Meikle, of East Lothian (a man
now above ninety years of age), by !its improv.etwnt
or invention of the tiliashitig machine, the Meeting
authorised the Treasurer to• subscribe thirty guineas
towards" the suflwription Fa
,on foot by the great
proprietors and farmers- of East Lothian, equally re-
sepectable and benevolent, in favour of Mr. Mcikle,
for the purpose of bestowing otrliim and his family,
in old age, some substantial mark of public appro-
bation. .

The Secretary laid before the Meeting a letter
from. the Rev Dr. Douglas, of Palashieltis, a Mem,
her of the Society, with an accomp,!nyng dra ing of
a machine, stated to be invented by 'Jr. Thomas
Mercer, etethier, ?it Wittlern;:agh, near that vil-
logo, for raising the pile of wool on cloth and blab-
ket, and aibo of an -improvement made by Mr.
bier On 'the commen cranks used in machineiy.
The Society referred to' their "Directors to inveSti-
-0 , the merits of Mr. Mercer's. inventions or
-
I,rovements in machinery, with power to the Pirec-
tors to bestow such mark of the Society's appproba-
tion on Mr. .Mercer, as they should see pruper and
expiidient.
A drawing and description of u new plan of
fences tor, pleasure-grounds, made of wire, menu-
_factured by Mr. Pilton, of Chelsea, Middlesex,
Elated to be durable, and pos-iesbing the advantages
ot not obs;truCting the views in getillctuen's grounds,-

was laid before the 'Meeting by Mr. Brai I,vood,
jun. of Edinburgh, for the information of Mem-
bers.

The SackETArry,stated, that several communica-
tions hid been recently received from the Board of
Agriculture, through its, President, Sir John Sin-
clair,' from the Filming- Society of Ireland, and
!front the Bath and West of England Agrictiltural
•SOciety, who had complimeuted'thisSotiety with a
COW piece set of. their published transattions.—
The Meeting recoimuended that a communication
with the.pte_respetitable institutions should be care-
fully kept up, and authorised their Secretary to
communicat-.t he thanks of Meeting to the Bath
Society, The. rvleetiug also dire,'7.led, that a coiii-
plete set of the corrected County Reports of Eng-
land and Scothind, driwn up for the Board of
Agriculture, should be added tp -the library of the
Society.
The Society resolved to subscribe to a work now
nearly ready for the press, to ,be published by the
llev. Mr. Irvine, of Little.Daiikeld. entitled, The
Lives of "the Caledonian Bards:

A letter from Mr. Currie., Siecretary to the Com-
mittee for managing a chapel lately opened in-Lon-
-don, where divine service t; to be performed iii the
Gaelic and English lAnguages,;-fo!' the benefit cif the
poorer classes of Highlanders, such as old sailors
and soldiers, in and about London, acCompanied
withsthe plan and.re&zulations,fbr said chapeti. was
laid' before the Meeting. The Suci.:ty, although
preeluditd by the terms of its charter., from con-
tributing from.its funds to thisobjed, unanimously
expressed their apptobat.On of this establishment,
being the,Only.one of'i!s kind in London, and had
no doubt that it 'would meet with countenance froni
individual Members, many Noblernen and Gentler
Men of the ,Society having already -corne liberally
forward as subscribers in aid of the institution.

The Society having proceeded, on Motion ,from
the Secretary, to the election of President, Vice-
President, and other officers for the. current year,
the Date of Atli°ll was re-elected President nd
the Earl of Leven anit Melville, 'Lord Gray, Lord
ElThank, and Lord Se:iforth, Vice Plesidents.
AMong a variety of other matters refereed to the
Diredors for considerati..n, were a drawing and de-
scription of an improved methodet yoking horses
in thrashing machine.,
.by Walter S:iniuel, We3t
Lothian ; and a communication from the Itev Dr.
Singers, on the most likely means of facilitatini;"and
extending "the progress of improvements in rival af-'
fairs.

In the afternoon a large party of the Members at•
tended the anniversary dinner in Fortune's tavern,
the Earl of Leven in the chair, when many loyal,
patri6tic, and appropriate toasts were given.