himself a son of Newcastle Captain, whenever he has entered against him; once with Hercules at Bury, and twice with The Hero at Ipswich and Framlingham. For good as Mr. Badham's horse is, the judges, whether right or wrong, would have it the Cretingham candidates were rather better. For "mares with foals at foot" he is equally celebrated. "Darby of Exeter," Windsor Diamond, and Brag (twice) have "done the agreeable" in this respect; with the two latter he was first and second at Ipswich in one of the best-filled classes. For his two years old fillies he has gained even greater renown-first at Windsor, first at Lincoln, first at Canterbury, and these against the whole agricultural world. At home he has been as much in the front, with an occasional excursion to Norwich and Swaffham to vary the fields of operation. This has been done chiefly with the produce of Newcastle Captain and Albert: the stock of the latter are not, however, of such repute as those by the old horse. Latterly, the get of the tetchy-tempered Hero have carried everything before them, and his son The Canterbury Pilgrim, bred from a Newcastle Captain mare, bids fair to eclipse anything as yet produced in the form of a model horse for agricultural purposes. His first foals have made their appearance this year, when they have won all the Suffolk foal premiums, and those which were sold on Wednesday gave every promise of keeping up the reputation the young horse has already earned as a stallion. The prices Mr. Barthropp has from time to time made of his horse stock are very comforting things for a breeder to reflect on. We believe he might have had anything in reason for The Pilgrim during the Canterbury week; and few have had the chance to refuse 100 guineas each for six mares in one stable, as Mr. Barthropp did a few years back. In a comparatively short career in the show-field £800 in prizes have fallen to his share; and in little more than twelve years 112 premiums for horses alone have been placed to his credit. Thus much for what has been done. The longest and most successful career must have an end, though it seems a pity to voluntarily cut it short when the position attained is, apparently, so firmly secured. As a Suffolk horsebreeder Mr. Barthropp stands high on the ladder of fame; and while he retires with three such trumps in his hand as the Windsor Diamond mare, the Canterbury Pilgrim, and a foal like lot 143, we must accord him the merit of holding his own to the last.

We have given but a slight sketch of what he has done in the show-yard, or the paddocks at The Rookery; though we must now turn to the actual doings of the day. In taking a hasty glance through the stables before the sale began, one fact was evident, and this was that Mr. Barthiopp had had the courage to submit to the scrutiny of the public, and to the judgment of expected customers, animals in a healthy, working, unpampered condition. With hardly a single exception, every horse was offered for sale fit to go to immediate work, and maintain the condition in which he was sold. What the effect was on the prices realized we do not pretend to say. This is not the usual way with Suffolk farmers; and if in better trim some might have made more money, those which were bought to work will give better satisfaction as they are.

The catalogue embraced 50 head of cart horses, including stallions, mares, geldings, and colts. The character of most of the working horses gave one the idea of more use than elegance or show. Fine upstanding horses, with deep shoulders and wide ragged hips, they were active enough for light soils and powerful enough for the strongest clay hills. Those by Newcastle Captain bore a strong resemblance to their sire, and, like him, had a little tendency to rough legs. The Alberts were mostly high, and not of a very fashionable stamp; and Hercules

had left the dull colour and wiry legs which he possessed himself. The Hero's were on the whole-excepting the best mares by the old horse-perhaps, the best style of farmers' horses. They had, however, the short necks and shoulders, but were good colours and wide horses. There were several by Capon's Duke (a son of Catlin's Duke), but they wanted more bone in the fore-legs. The sale of horses followed the lunch; when the proceedings opened with an appropriate address from the auctioneer, during which we looked round and noticed nearly all the Suffolk breeders-names well known in the catalogues if not the prize-sheet of the Agricultural Shows. The company included Messrs. Sexton, Wolton, two of the Crisps, Wilson, Gleed, Wrench, Cottingham, Hedge, Dobito, King (Barton), Scott, Welton, Stearn, King (Preston), Keer, G. Bond, Cooper, Harris, Mumford, Dawson, Laws, Badham, A. Ransome, Capt. Barlow, Garrett, two of the Biddells, Everett, Gross, &c., &c. The first lot, Brag, was brought into the ring a few minutes past 2 o'clock, and was bought by Mr. Crisp, the agent of Lord Derby, for 51 gs.—a firstprize winner, dark in colour, rather high on the leg, and not very handsome; but, as covered by The Pilgrim, and only six years old, his lordship cannot complain of the price. The next lot was bought by Mr. Garrett for 51 gs.-a much smarter mare than the last, but sadly light in the fore-legs. Two geldings followed, one to go into Bedfordshire at 47 gs., the other was bought by a dealer. The next mare, another light-boned Capon's Duke, was bought by Captain Way, and goes into Essex. Lot 121 made 40 guineas, and is for Lord Derby. This mare has been a very good performer in the show-field, and as in foal to The Pilgrim should be worth all the money she realized. Seven more geldings followed, at comparatively low prices, but lot 129 (Windsor Diamond) created more sensation. In our judgment we never recollect seeing anything so near perfection as a brood mare. The immense width over the hips and through the chest, the square hindquarters and short legs, with splendid head, neck, and shoulders, at once struck the eye of every horse-fancier. She is a daughter of Newcastle Captain; and won as a twoyear-old the first prize at the Royal Show at Windsor; while, what is more to her credit, she is the mother of the Canterbury Pilgrim. She is now 13 years old, and has been covered by Mr. Crisp's Conqueror-a most excellent horse-and looks like being in foal. A sharp running fire between Mr. Allen Ransome and Mr. M. Biddell soon brought her up to 46 guineas, when, perhaps, the recollection of her age, and the foal dying before it came to honours, induced the latter to halt. Mr. Ransome thought better, and bought the cheapest animal sold during the day. Her performances include nine first prizes and two seconds-a very creditable list of laurels. The next, lot 130, Brag, by Newcastle Captain, also fell to the nod of Mr. Ransome. She numbers two Royal Society's prizes amongst her numerous list of winnings, but is nothing to the eye compared with the previous lot, and is besides one year her senior; although, considering what she has done, we think the 41-guinea bid a judicious investment for one who means to have good animals of good pedigree. Another halfdozen low-priced lots came next, in which, however, were two excellent mares, winners of many prizes, but both blind. The brood mares with foals were next of. fered; the first, Bonny, a fine, big, wide mare, by Hercules, was secured by Mr. Crisp, of Butley Abbey, at the price of 70 guineas, and, as she is in foal to Newcastle Captain, at only 5 years old, is not too much. She was first at Framlingham in 1860 as a threeyear-old, beating Sir Edward Kerrison's mare Beauty, by Duke, afterwards a prize-winner in the fullaged class at Ipswich, in 1861. She has a blemish

on one knee, and but for this must have made more money. Mr. Badham bought her foal-a small but neat filly by The Pilgrim. The next lot made 42 gs., Mr. Garrett buying her filly foal, also by Pilgrim, for 29 gs. This was lot 143, to which we before alluded; and she will be heard of again, though her shoulders are short and upright, and her colour not very bright. Lot 145, another Pilgrim foal out of Diamond by Newcastle Captain, was bought by Mr. Crisp, of Butley Abbey, and looks like making a very handsome horse. Another mare and foal, making about 47 gs., brought us to lot 148-no less a star than the Canterbury Pilgrim himself. A buzz of admiration from the crowded ring, and an address from Mr. Bond on the past performances, present merit, and future promise of "the lot before us," gave time to scan him over. We thought he never looked better, handsomer, nor more thoroughly good. No Suffolk horse is more popular in the county, nor more likely to please those out of it. Even the Peterborough judge, who said such hard things of the Suffolks at Dereham, would scarcely condemn The Pilgrim, except for his being a Suffolk. His pedigree and list of great doings fill a considerable space in the catalogue; the gist of this is, that he is the son of The Hero, noted for having more correctness of form than command of temper, his dam being Windsor Diamond, of whom we have already spoken as deserving the highest commendation. Three exhibitions at three different shows-first in every case-Mr. Barthropp considered enough to gain him an honourable retirement from public life in the show-yard. Whenever he was shown, it matters not how good the company, it was The Pilgrim 1st, the rest nowhere. He has been two years at the stud, where the catalogue tells us he has earned his owner some £400 already-a good criterion of how he is appreciated in his own locality. He is one of the most correctly-formed animals we ever looked over with rare legs, of good quality, and immense substance. He is thick, square, long, low, and wide, and has the most docile temper, with the best and greatest of action. He was put in at 100 gs., with fives and tens from all parties till he got to 170 gs. Here the contest was left to three-Mr. Crisp of Butley Abbey, Capt Barlow of Hasketon (a commission, we understood), and Mr. Biddell. The first "ceased firing" at the 190, where another five to get him for the "Carlford and Colnes"

district brought forth the even 200 gs. by a nod from the carriage on the right. A pause, and the buzz began to rumour that the captain would have him at that sum; but no, a steady two hundred and five" from Mr. Biddell announced that he had again 66 commenced firing" at the long range. Another nod from the carriage was the signal for 210 gs.; another appeal from the auctioneer for Mr. Crisp to get him for Butley only brought forth a shrug of the shoulders; Mr. Biddell shook his head, and this time the ring had fairly stabled The Pilgrim alongside Mentmore and Oulston at the Hasketon Paddocks. But all was not over yet, and 215 from the rear of Mr. Biddell disheartened the captain, and the idea that a new bidder had started made the others think the case was hopeless; and after a vain attempt to get another bid out of the waggonette on the right the hammer fell, and the Canterbury Pilgrim passed out of Mr. Barthropp's hands. The bid of 215 gs. turned out to be for Mr. Manfred Biddell after all. The Pilgrim's resting-place is henceforth to be amongst the Majors, Colonels, and Confidences, at the Luck Farm, Playford. The next lot was the veritable Old Captain, who, though now in his 23rd year, is fresh and vigorous, and from young mares may yet get more Royal prize winners. He was taken at a merely nominal figure by Capt. Barlow. A handsome, but not particularly clever twoyear-old Emperor colt out of a Crisp's Captain mare was the next in the catalogue. He was bought by a Baron Maltzen at 115 gs.-the only foreign name given at the sale, though doubtless many from abroad had their agents at work. A yearling brother to The Pilgrim was the last lot of the stallions, and was secured for Lord Derby at 53 gs. We see no promise of his becoming anything more than an active, light-boned horse, with a deficiency in width. A lot of most excellent two and three years old colts brought the cart-horse list to an end, but for want of sufficient distinction by ticket we could not particularize them. The ten lots of riding horses brought the first day's sale to a conclusion, and it was near dark when the company separated.

We are not quite sure of the amount of the sale, but twelve of the highest priced lots realized something over £70 each-a very fair average for twelve horses when the trade is dull, as it is at the present time.

The monthly meeting of the Council of the Bath and West of England Society was held at Waghorn's Hotel, Taunton, on the 4th October instant, the most noble the Marquis of Bath, the President, in the chair. A letter from the Secretary of the Royal Agricultural Society, requesting the Council to furnish a list of names of Judges, was read, when an animated discussion on the subject took place, in the course of which several members of the Council, who happened also to be connected with the Royal Agricultural Society, referred to the difficulties experienced by that Society on this particular subject. The question was ultimately referred to the consideration of the Stock Prize Sheet Committee, to form a list, and report thereon to the next meeting.

EXETER MEETING.-The Secretary read a letter from Mr. Hooper of Exeter, and also from Mr. Pope of the same place, granting permission to the public to pass over certain private roads for certain days during the Exhibition.

PRIZE SHEETS, 1863.-In the absence of the Chairman of this Committee, no reports were brought up, but it was suggested for the consideration of this committee whether any and what special prize should be offered for any and what class of horses.

PRIZE ESSAY.-Mr. Gabriel Poole, as the Chairman of the Committee appointed to confer with a Committee of Cornish gentlemen on the subject of the Prize Essay on the lamb disease, of which parasites in the lungs are generally the cause or consequence, reported that questions on this subject had been extensively circulated, and that a considerable number of replies had been received, which had been placed in the hands of the Secretary. He had since put himself in communication with the gentlemen in Cornwall who took an in. terest in the subject, and it had been unanimously agreed to leave the adjudication of the prize in the hands of Lord Portman, who had undertaken to'discharge the office of adjudicator.

GG

NORTH

God preserve us from our so-called friends! was the earnest exclamation of Mr. Clare Sewell Read, at the dinner of the North Walsham Society on Wednesday, Oct. 8. And who is Mr. Sewell Read? and who are the friends he would be preserved from? Mr. Sewell Read, then, is one of the tenant farmers of Norfolk; and the connexions he would disown are the famous Farmers' Friends, the County Members, who represent our interest in Parliament, and so forth. Never, perhaps, has there been such a spontaneous volley of cheers as that which greeted the brief speech which Mr. Read addressed to his brother-agriculturists at Walsham. Our report of course includes this in the proceedings of the day; but it is too valuable even for us to risk the hazard of its not being seen by those who should have such an address off by heart :-" Tenant farmers have been requested to give free utterance to their opinions. He was a tenant farmer, and as he had heard no other tenant farmer say anything upon the matters which were taking place around them, he would take the liberty of doing so. It was customary for tenant farmers to be patted on their backs, and to be told that they were a very enterprising and enthusiastic body of people-a very independent and improving set. The great and noble of the land told them these things, and he supposed they believed them to be true; but he would remind his friends among the tenant farmers, that in private life a man was always valued, not by the compliments which he paid, but by the good which he did. Yet, when great landed proprietors and agricultural M.P.'s went to Parliament, they seemed to say something like this: You are such an intelligent set of men that you are now no longer capable of managing your roads, and therefore we will do it for you; you are so independent, and have shown yourselves independent so long in protecting your landlords' game, that now we think you ought to pay for the preservation of it also.'" Aud here the speaker was interrupted by an utterly irrepressible outburst of applause, mingled with cries directly encouraging him to proceed; during which, however, the brave man resumed his seat with the simple utterance of the wish we have already recorded, "God preserve the farmers from the farmers' friends!" And who, again, we must repeat, is Mr. Sewell Read? Some local demagogue may-be, ever ready to make a noise or raise a laugh on any terms? Or, some disaffected fellow utterly dissatisfied with his own position, and only too ready to create dissension amongst his neighbours? There are hundreds of our readers who would put us right in a moment, for Mr. Read is well known beyond the boundaries of his own county, where he occupies a high place amongst the leading farmers of Norfolk, as a man of intelligence, energy, and ability. He spoke, moreover, at Walsham, in returning thanks for his health having been given as one of the Judges of the day, while he has also frequently officiated in a similar capacity at the meetings of the National Society, and he was one of the trio who conducted the great steam cultivator trials at Leeds. Mr. Sewell Read is, further, the author of several prize essays and other papers which have appeared in the Royal Journal; and, in fact, on every showing, as good and as safe an authority on agricultural matters as we could wish to have. Such a speech from such a quarter, and backed as it was by the farmers of Norfolk, must carry a significant commentary with it;

and this is how Mr. Read came to make it. Of course the dinner was overlaid with M.P.'s, and amongst others by Mr. C. Buxton, who delivered himself in this wise: "I have always regretted that the speaking at these meetings is not of a more practical character. It seems a pity that on the few occasions when landlord and tenant meet on equal terms, they should not bring mind to bear on mind, to sift questions of great moment to themselves, and in the long run to the whole people. We all know that there are some rather delicate matters, as to which it is fancied that the interest of the landlord is at odds with that of the tenant, though in fact their real interests must, in the end, be the same. There is, for example, the question of the restrictions in the rotation of crops and modes of cultivation, the question between leases and yearly holdings, and as to the length to which leases ought to run; there is the question of many fences or few, and of the effects for good or evil arising from game and gamekeepers. On these topics it is thought decorous to maintain a prudent reserve. I think that a mistake. It is the glory of Englishmen to be outspoken; and surely when we meet over a friendly table we should be glad that the farmer should state his views with manly frankness, and the landlord would surely listen with generous candour. As a landlord myself, though only of one small parish, and a game-preserver, and still more as an M.P., I should feel it a rare advantage if the feelings and thoughts of the tenantfarmers were more freely unfolded. I cannot, however, venture myself to dictate on any agricultural questions, for the plain reason that I know little about them. In fact, I have too many other irons in the fire; and my conviction is, that on a farm of fifty acres, which I keep in my own hands, I have reduced farming to a point below which human nature cannot go, for I raise nothing but a superb crop of rabbits, and I sometimes have one cow."

But for the suspicious finish about the crop of rabbits, this is certainly one of the most sensible speeches we have seen this autumn, however much or little it might be meant for. For some time past we have come to consider few of these dinners ever worth sitting out at, as there is really no opportunity allowed for remarks of "a practical character." At Hertford, for instance, on Thursday, after a positive inundation from the top of the table, and "as the evening was so far advanced," the Chairman huddled up together in one lot the Judges of Stock, the Judges of Roots, and the Judges of Ploughing-the Committee, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and the Occupiers of the exhibition grounds. Where, then, was the chance for any mutual consideration of questions of great moment? At Waltham, however, there was more time for a hearing; though of course not until another honourable gentleman or two had had his innings. Mr. Howes, as one of the representatives of East Norfolk, followed Mr. Buxton, and in doing So touched upon the business of the Session:-"A bill had been passed and had become an act, namely, the Poaching Act (hisses), and he regretted to say that there was considerable opposition in the House of Commons. For his own part he supported the measure (hisses). If gentlemen would hear him out, he had no doubt they would agree with the conclusion to which he came. The opposition to that measure was on various grounds, but the principal one to which he wished to call atten