pecially for this meeting, one most
suitable for this agricultural feast. It is a toast which I feel
sure you all, gentlemen, will drink most heartily. With the Army
it gives me great pleasure to couple the name of General Sir W.
Knollys, and with the Navy that of Sir J. Heron Maxwell."

Sir W. Knollys, in responding for the profession to which he belongs,
including the Militia, the Volunteers, and the Reserve Forces, dwelt
upon the habits, the physical well-being, and powers of endurance which
fit the agricultural population of this country for the profession of
arms. They bring with them also that contentment and discipline which
till recent events particularly distinguished the agricultural labourer,
and are always ready to fight for country and Queen.

Sir J. Heron Maxwell having replied for the Navy, the toast-master, Mr.
Goodchild, announced a bumper toast, and the Prince of Wales said:--

"The toast which I now have the honour of proposing to you is
that of 'Success to the Royal Agricultural Benevolent
Institution.' Gentlemen, this excellent and charitable
institution has been only in existence for the space of fifteen
years, and its object is the relief of farmers who have been
reduced by failure of crops, loss of stock, bad seasons, and
other reasons. It has been founded, as I say, for that purpose,
but there is one thing which is absolutely necessary to entitle
to relief, and that is that the recipient of the pension must
have, as his exclusive means of support, cultivated at least
fifty acres, or rented land at L100 a year at least for twenty
years. And those farmers who receive pensions must prove to the
society that they do not possess an income from other sources of
more than L20 a year. Among those, also, who are benefited by
the society are the widows and children or orphans of farmers
and their unmarried daughters.

"One main object of the managers of the institution is to
maintain in their own districts those who have not the means of
providing for themselves, so that, instead of their going to the
workhouse, or having to remove to distant parts of the kingdom,
they may be kept as much as possible in the counties where they
were born and bred. Pensions varying from L20 to L40 a year are
granted, and since the foundation of this society as many as 432
pensioners have been elected, and 53 c