The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1855-10-30

.SoS VI khctI scNeEhA CiASScS ftJ
Eattie Of various kinds, Foreign and Native 1856
Sheep Do Do AGO
Swine Do Do 0a7
Premium animals additional premiums) .l2o
oatry ...................... .9s
agricultural Implements and Machinery 800
domestic and Household Manufactures. .331
fruits, Flowers, Vegetables Dairy Productions 233
special premiums for useful discoveries, &c ..l2o0
aiiscelianeous Items. .290
And premiums on various subjects, offered by
individual donors. ........... ,625
Showing the aggregate amount offered as pre-
mums to be-. so 4l9
Under direction of resolution of the Executive
committee, statement of the financial condition
of the Society was reported, embracing all items
OF pecuniary transactions from the origin of the So
eiety down to the first day of March last separating
and generalizing the various elements as to show
at glance what portion of its funds belong to it's
permanent endowment from what sources received
and how invested, and what part constitutes the
contingent fund applicable to the current expenses
OF the Society, and for what objects of expendi-
ture the money of the Society have been appropr
ated This statement was published by order of
the Executive Committee, and is herewith commu-
nicated The Treasurers account, pursuing the
same order of arrangement, may be regarded as a
supplemental report bringing down the particular
statement of additonalitems to the present time -
The following abstract of its contents is all that
needs to be here cited ..--.
p Total amount of permanent fund invested
in bonds of city of Richmond, ......... $4,000
Contingent fund invested as above. $3.50.
Loan to city of Richmond. .4500.. 975O
Cash on hand. -. -. ................... 1880
1t is proper to add in this connection that Mr. Wm
q. Crenshaw, who had been the Treasurer for near.
ly two years, and had served the Society with un-
trlng assidu1ty, at great personal sacrifice and with
singular efficiency and fidelity felt himself con-
strained by the force of his business obligations to
resign the ONCE, not however until his skillful hand
had systematized the department and rendered sim
pie and intelligble the details of its operations Mr.
Charles b. Williams was elected to succeed him.
and has executed bond with approved security in
the penalty of ten thousand dollars conditioned for
the faithful performance of the duties of the office
About the Goth of July, the Secretary Mr. +. G.
Rufhn, in notifying the members of the Executive
committee to attend meeting on the 26th, took
occasion to inform the members that an impor-
tant part of the business of that meeting would be
the election of his successor, it his intention
then to resign. The Committee met at the ap-
pointed time, but owing to the fact that there was
but very limited in attendance and that it
was the almost unanimous opinion of the Committee
that so important an election should not be made
without fuller expression Of the choice of its
bers, it was determined as the of the Commit
tee, that the election should be postponed if the in
cumbent could be prevailed upon to continue in the
discharge of his duties To this Mr. Ruffin assented
so far as to engage to perform all the important du
ties of the office, but not to incur the obligation of
constant, daily attendance. This he has done to
the satisfaction of the Committee, and has declined
dered since that meeting. In fixing the time for
the next meeting of the Committee, paramount
object was to secure full attendance. The Com
mittee therefore fixed the Sd of October as the
earliest time at which it would be eexpedent to hold
it for the purpose for which the meeting speci-
ally appointed. Mr.. Rnffin then offered his resig-
nation, which was accepted and Charles B. VII
liams was elected to succeed him, who very soon
afterwards entered upon the discharge of his du-
ties Mr.. W. G. Crenshaw and Mr.. Frank G. Ruff
n have been both elected members to fill vacan.
cies in the Executive Committee, occasoned by the
designations of Messrs. E. G. Booth and j. Ravens.
croft Jones' two of the early and friends of
the Society whose sound judgment and wise coun-
sells are held in high consideration by their associ
ates and caused their resignation to be felt loss
to their body. Mr. William B. Harrison was ap-
pointed fill of these vacancies, but declined to
accept. ~, :. 49,.
The subject of an economical arrangement for
the publication of the transactions of the Society,
engaged the early attention of the committee
charged with that duty, and a contract was con-
cluded with Mr.. Thomas Baile to print them upon
satisfactory terms. The second volume of this
work may, therefore, be expected when the con-
trbutons to the Society, together with the history
of its current proceedings, shall supply the requ
site amount of matter to constitute the volume
The committee have not been unnlindful of the
prevailing and just expectation that this Society
is destined in its progress to become fountain of
useful knowledge which shall send its fertilizng
streams over the broad surface of the Common
wealth. Bnt however anxious they might be to
enlarge the sphere of its operations within the lin
itations of the constitution and thereby to increase
its usefulness they have felt that the ultimate ends
of the association could be best attained by the
gradual and cautious development of system of
operations every feature of which should derive its
useful and practical character from its adaptation
to the wants and circumstances of the agricultural
community, and fall within the pecunlary compe-
tency of the Society.
Our resources applicable to current and contingent
expenses, derived from the current contributions
of members gate fees and other incidents of our
nua exhibitions which variable and uncertain in
their amounts and from the interest on permanent
fund which, by the terms of its contribution is
credy devoted to agricultural Improvement Al
though the of these receipts has exceeded the de-
lnands upon them, and considerable surplus has al
ready accumulated and is likely to be augmented by
an of receips expenditures of the
exhibition the committee is of opinion that the wIsest
policy would be to continue the practice which has
been hitherto pursued, of investing IN productive
stock as to its accretion and to transfer
from time to time from the contingent to the perma-
nent fund, such amounts would still leave to the
credit of the former enough to cover deficiencies
which may arise from fluctuations in the other
sources of revenue. We may thus hope in time to
build up permanent fund, the interest of which will
enable us to accomplish the broadcast and most
prehensive plans indicated heretofore in the general
meetings of the Society.
In the meantime the Society will proceed to ac-
complsh by other means many of the most important
objects of its institution Our Annual Fairs, which
have been already productive of such happy results
will continue to attract to the capital thousands OF
the most enlightened citizens of the Commonwealth.
Our farmers will be stimulated to efforts at inn
provement raising the best breeds of stock and the
ntroduc of processes in agriculture and the
inventive genius of our mechanics and artzans viii
be quickened and excited to the production of such
new and superior machinery may be sufficient to
supply the necessity arising from the scarcity and
dearness of manual labor. The Society will thus,
though not accomplishing all that could be desired
proceed in the fument of its mission, until 1t shall
at length achieve a triumph which will be as homo
rable to the association beneficial in its efforts
the ipecuniary moral and social condition of the
Stnte. Lt f .-. !
Meteorological Obseratioas.-B. johnson Bar
bour ESQ. after few pertinent remarks, offered
the following resolution, which was adopted:
Resolved, That this Society cordially approves of
the plan proposed by Lieut.. Maury, IN the August
number Of the American Farmer, Of extending to
the land for the benefit of Agriculture, the system
of Meteorological observations which has done so
much for the improvement of navigation and com
meree, that we commend the plan to the favorable
consideration of brother farmers in other States
and request the members of Congress from our own
State to procure for agricultural and sanitary mete
orology the same degree of encouragement which
has been SO wisely and beneficiay extended to the
seas-and that the President of this Society il here
by requested to forward copy of this resolution to
each member of the Congressional delegation oi
Virginia. "a tfae ssst -~tss s t}8,-~t8z.fE'
The Press--Mr William d. Gresham of King