The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-09-29 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY

society held its annual meeting, on Thursday, at
the New Haymarket, which has been recently enclosed.
and the dinner took place in the evening at Lucas's Re-
pository. The show of cattle wns not better than usual.
A bull belonging to Mr. Atherton, of Upholland, gained
the principal prize of £l5, and to one of Mr. Cropper's,
of Melling, the prize of £lO was awarded. The show of
pigs was good. There were few sheep on the ground, but
some were good specimens of Southdowns. Mr. Whalley,
of the Crescent, Mr. Peake, of Dale-street, Mr. Newton,
of Manchester, Mr. Cawson, of Salford, and other gen-
tlemen, showed a variety of ploughs, harrows, and other
agricultural implements. A curious atmospheric churn,
by Mr. A. Weston, attracted some attention.
The report of the committee spoke warmly of the ac-
commodation which the Corporation had provided, by
enclosing the Haymarket—regretted that circumstances
had prevented the junction of the Liverpool with the
Manchester Agricultural Society—stated that the ar-
rangements for doing so would be submitted to a general
meeting—and that the society had sustained a loss by the
contract for the dinner last year, owing to the limited
attendance.

The report of the inspectors of farms spoke of the ex-
cellence of the first and second grass and clover crops—
described the hay se4son as having been most favourable—
said that wheat would prove a full average—that oats were
under an averave crop—that the bean crop is a failure—
and that potatoes, as every one knew, were in a lamentable
state. The committee wind up by declaring that the
crop of weeds has been the most abundant and flourishing
of any.

The accounts showed the receipts of the past year to
have been..
And the expenditure 5ll 17 7

Leaving due to the treasurer

£2B 12

' At the dinner upwards of three hundred sat down,
which was considered a much better attendance than that
of last year. The tables were literally supplied with
every thing that could contribute to the enjoyment of the
company. The chair was occupied by Lord Stanley, and
at the principal table were the following gentlemen
amongst others :—John Ireland Blackburne, Esq ; the
lion. Edward Stanley, son of the chairman ; H.
Lttledale, Esq. ; Robert Neilson, Esq. ; Weld Blundell,
Esq. ; Richard Blundell. Esq. ; Sir B. Brooke, Bart. ;
Mr. Alderman Griffith ; Mr. Alderman James Lawrence,
Richard Brook, Esq.; Hardman Earle, Esq. ; William
Eccles, Esq. ; William Grierson, Esq.; Captain Mor-
gan ; Bartholomew Bretherton, Esq.; Gilbert Greenball,
Esq. ; William Rawson, Esq. ; William Heyes, Esq. ;
Philip Whiteway, Esq.
The cloth was drawn at a quarter after six o,clock, and
after the usual loyal toasts,
Lord STANLEY then rose, amidst loud cheers, to pro-
pose the principal toast of the evening. The noble lord
spoke nearly as follows :—Gentlemen, it now becomes my
' duty to propose to you a bumper toast. I propose to you
to drink prosperity to that society whose anniversary you
are now met to celebrate, and whose progress, from very
small beginnings and by very gradual steps, to its present
advanced stage of prosperity, 1 have bad the satisfaction
of witnessing through the period of sixteen years, during
which I have had the honour of filling this chair as presi-
dent. (Hear, hear, and applause.) I had hoped, when I
addressed you last year, that before this time we might
have effected a combination with another and a sister so-
ciety in this county, by which the means of usefulness of
both, by which the sphere of emulation of both—which is
the means of usefulness—might have been considerably
extended. That arrangement has not been brought to a
conclusion. Unforeseen impediments have, for the pre-
sent, prevented it. But I trust that it is for the present
only, and that before another year has expired, those dit-
fieulties may be surmounted which have hitherto pre-
vented the union of the Liverpool and Manchester Agri-
cultural Societies. (Cheers.) Gentlemen, I address you
at a period of no small difficulty to me in my present po-
sition, and of no small anxiety to the agricultural inter-
ests of the country generally. (Hear.) I address you at
a period when it has been thought right by parliament to
withdraw that legislative protection—or at least to make
provisions by which that legislative protection shall shortly
be withdrawn—which the agricultural interests of this
country, have hitherto enjoyed. And I address you also
at a period when it has pleased Providence to visit this
country and the greater part of the civilized world, with a
mysterious visitation, in the almost entire failure of a crop
essential to the maintenance and support of the poorest
portion of the community. (Hear.) But gentlemen,
these are topics upon which, here, I can hardly dwell. I
cannot speak to you of the measures which it has pleased
parliament to adopt, for several reasons. First, that it is
a wise and judicious rule of this society. that it should
exclude from its discussions everything that can lead to
political dissension, or political differences of opinion ;
next, that it is yet doubtful, and it remains to be proved,
whether the change which parliament has decreed is a
change which will be sanctioned and made perpetual by the
feelings and opinions of the community at large. Thirdly,
the operation of the measure has not yet come into effect—
(hear)—for 1 need not tell those that I am addressing,
that, at this time, and for the next two or three years,
there still remains a duty of 10s. per quarter upon the in-
troduction of foreign wheat ; lastly, I will not speak upon
this topic, because whatever may be, even ultimately, the
operation of this legislative measure, its even partial ope-
ration has been, in a great degree, counteracted and im-
peded by other and temporary causes. The enormous,—
I will not say the exaggerated, I will not say the danger-
ously large, but I will say the unprecedentedly large—
amount which is now being invested in various spe-
culations, and In various works, tending unnaturally
to raise the price of labour, and, consequently, unna-
turally to increase the demand for provisions, at the
time when that very visitation of Providence to which
I have referred, presses upon this country and upon
the continent. Therefore, even were I not precluded
as I am, from dwelling upon this topic, and upon
the legislative measures which have been passed, by the
rules of this society, I should be precluded by a conside-
ration that the effect of those legislative measures—if le-
gislative measures they are ultimately to be—must stand
the test of time. This, alone, I will say, that, having ex-
pressed in another place, where it was my bounden duty ,
to express it. my opinion, unhesitatingly and unreserv-
edly, upon the policy of those measures, the wisdom and
the soundness of that opinion remains yet to be tested by
time—(hear)—and no man will rejoice more than I shall,
if the apprehensions I entertain should be found to be un-
founded or exaggerated. (Hear, hear.) Nay, more, gen-
tlemen. No man in his sphere and position shall do
more, by increased exertions, to render those apprehen-
sions less founded than I believe them to be. (Hear,
hear.) I also must abstain from offering to you, gentlemen,
any observations upon the almost general, I may say the
universal, failure of the potato crop—a failure so universal,
not only in this country, but in every part of these united
kingdoms, that in passing, about ten days ago, through
the city of Edinburgh, I was assured there had not been
exhibited for sale in the market of Edinburgh, a potato
for at least ten days or a fortnight. (Hear.) I shall not
dilate upon this topic. for the best of ail possible reasons,
because I know nothing about it. (Hear, and a laugh.)
I believe if all the most learned men in Europe were to
make an honest confession, the result would be that they
know no more about it than I profess to know. (Hear,
bear.) They know it is general—they know that it is
fatal, most dangerous in its tendency, and most lament-
able in its effects. But as to its cause and origin—as to
the mode of preventing or palliating the evil, there are
many different opinions; but none of them have stood
the test of experience, and none of them can be pro-
nounced upon with the smallest degree of certainty.
(Hear.) Gentlemen, I do venture to hope, notwith-
standing, from indications which came in a remarkable
manner under my own cognizance, some three or four
years ago, when I had the honour of holding the office of
Colonial Secretary, that this visitation will not be conti-
nuous. (Hear, hear.) I was applied to at that lime from
the distant island of St. Helena to consult well-skilled
persons in London as to a mysterious disease which bad
broken out three years ago.
is I say nothing of the uni-
versal prevalence ot disease in the potatoes. I believe—
and I trust the fact so—that the disease does not owe
its origin to any permanent failure of, or deficiency in,
the root itself, but to some extraordinary atmospherical
influences, and that as it has been the will of Providence
to afflict us with this visitation, so we may look forward
with an humble confidence to the withdrawal of the visita-
tion by the act of the same Providence, against which, it
at present appears, no human skill or foresight can guard.
I am the more led to entertain this conclusion, because I
feel that those among us vsho are practical farmer, will
see, in the course of the present year, whether it be from
atmospherical influences or not, that other crops are
similarly affected, though not to the same extent
potato crop, I regret to say, in this ^

,nty, and I hear
), to a great ex-

in other districts. the turnit;'crop is
tent, a failure. Even in the gardens (I do not
ther any of you will have remarked it) there i
ordinary disease, similar to that in the potato, exhibited
upon a small scale in the celery beds, the }eaves being

sliotie7l,biaCk, and withered, and the r

t itself rotting

crops of pots

I do rwt pretend to offer you any observations upon
either of these two topics, which yet are matters of the
deepest interest to those who, like many of you, are en-
d practical farmers in cultivation. I rather turn