The Sun.
London, England, 1844-07-25 00:00:00

THE COUNCIL DINNER.

The festival took place at the Victoria Assembly Room, a
plain, but large, light, and handsome hall. Nearly 400
gentlemen sat down to dinner, Earl Spencer presiding.
Among those present we observed the Duke of Richmond,
the Duke of Leinster, the Marquis of Downshire, Lord For-
tescue, Lord Lilford, Lord Ashburton, Lord Camoys, Lord
Ducie, Lord Somers, Earl of Essex, Earl of Scarborough,
Lord Egmont, Lord Sandon, Lord Chichester, Sir T. D.
Acland, J. T. Hope, Esq., M.P., Mr. Handley, Hayter,
M.P., Sir C. Lemon, M.P., Lord Hatherton, J. B. Shelley,
Esq., R. W. Blenco, Esq., the Honourable Mr. A'Court
Holmes, M.P., Right Hon. Sturges W. Bourne, Lord Marden
of New Forest ; Sir W. Heathcote, M.P., Mr. Pusey, M.P.,
Mr. Escott, ALP., Sir Charles Burrell, M.P., David Barclay,
Esq., M.P., G. C. Courthorpe, Esq., Sir R. Price, Bart., Mr.
Bramston, M.P., W. Long, Esq., Mr. Sotheron, M.P., Dr.
Buckland, Sir C. Morgan, Colonel Chaloner, Colonel Hender-
son (Mayor), Capt. Ward, Lord Hardwick, Lord De Lisle,
Mr. Napper, Mr. Stephen Mills, Sir John Ogilvie, Mr.
Hillier, Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid.
The dinner, an excellent one, was done due justice to.
The Noble CHAIRMAN proposed " The Queen"—a toast,
he was sure, they would all drink with enthusiasm. On all
occasions they would have received the toast with the
greatest cordiality ; but, in the present circumstances of her
Majesty, there was a further inducement to do honour to it,
which, he was sure, would not be lost sight of.—(Great
cheering.)
The CHAIRMAN then proposed the Queen Dowager, Prince
Albert, the Prince of Wales, and the rest of the Royal
Family." They were aware that in drinking this toast they
were doing honour to the members of the Royal Family, who
were members of the Society, and he was sure that the
whole of that illustrious family wished it well.—(Cheers.)
The Duke of Cambridge had been to-day among them.—
(Hear.) Ile had had the honour of showing him the imple
milt yard, and although it was against the rule of the
Society to allow any gentleman to enter into the yard in
which the cattle were placed, waiting for the award of the
judges—except the judges themselves—still he had judged
that he would carry the feelings of the Society along with
him if, on this occasion, he made an exception to the general
rule, and conducted their illustrious visitors through the
cattle-yard.—(Loud cheers.) He confessed that in this be
had been guilty of an irregularity, but it was ono which he
thought that the Society would be very ready to pardon.—
(Loud cheers.)
The toast was drunk with great cordiality.
Lord ASHBURTON proposed the next toast, that of the
" Professors of Science." If our ancestors thought that
we should begin the proceedings of an agricultural dinner
with such a toast they would have, perhaps, thought us out
of our mind ; but no person who was aware of what in
modern times science had done for agriculture—how it
bad applied its recondite researches to the practical culti-
vation of the earth, would hesitate to pay to science the
tribute which was so justly its due. The plough, like the
ship, had been one of the earliest inventions of civilised man,
but the most perfect form of its structure had never yet,
perhaps, been discovered, and it would be for mechanical
science to go on from improvement to improvement until the
most perfect form should have been attained. For this they
would be indebted to science—the application of science to the
common arts of life. The Noble Lord concluded by propos-
ing the " Professors of science who had honoured them with
their presence."

Dr. BCCKLAND rose to return thanks. He thought that
the best way in which he could show his gratitude would be
by stating to them some information connected with the
application of science to that particular branch of industry
with which they were connected.—(Hear, hear.) The coun-
ties of Hampshire, Dorset, and Surrey were perhaps more
susceptible of agricultural improvement than were any other
counties in England.—(Cheers.) True, they had long sterile
tracts of heath ; but heath lying at so low an elevation as to
be very different from the uncultivated moors of higher ()lova,
tions, and capable or; being brought into a lligher state of
fertility,---(Iior, hear.) The Learned Gentleman proceeded
to cuter into details of the soils in the county of Hampshire—
pointing out the proper wanures for each variety, and parti-
cularly eulogising the management of the property of the
Duke of Wellington, between Reading and Basingstoke.—
(Cheers.) The Learned Gentleman went on to recommend
the use of the subsoil plough, by means of which the produce
would be doubled and trebled. They. had heard much of arti-
ficial manure, but that of guano, existing as it did in enor-
mous strata in the earth, came more particularly under hia
observation as a geologist. The present dry Aiad ipeen
almost fatal to experiments with gnap. e, tliereOre, en-
treated those who had this year keen tn,alFitng experimentswith guano, to letthcm go t9r uothing..—(Hear. hear.)