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 £100 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 £20 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 £20 to £40 a year are granted, and since the foundation of this society as many as 432 pensioners have been elected, and 53 children have been educated and maintained at a cost of not far from £40,000. At present there are 302 pensioners and 41 children on the books of the charity, and these numbers will, I understand, be augmented during the present month by the election of 51 pensioners. The total cost of the year will be nearly £8500, and I am sorry to say the donations and annual sums received amount to little over £6800. Therefore, you see that although this institution is in a highly prosperous state, at the same time the funds are not as great as we could wish. It is for that reason that we assemble here—to augment those funds.
"When I look around and see so large a number of gentlemen, who have come great distances to support me on this occasion, I feel I shall not ask them in vain to extend their support to so excellent an institution. You were kind enough just now to drink in a cordial manner my health, but I think if I had put myself before you as a surgeon whose health you were going to drink you might not have received me so cordially. On this occasion I hope you will look upon me as a surgeon. The few words I have to say to you are my lancet, with which I have to bleed you—and you will all feel much the better for it.
"Many may think, 'Why should we give money to those who possibly by their own fault may have got into distress?' But that is not the object mentioned. All will agree that the cleverest agriculturists who thoroughly understand their business may, through bad seasons, failures of crops, and a variety of other causes which you know, gentlemen, far better than I do, have found themselves suddenly in the most abject want. It is a great pity that the farmers' clubs and agricultural societies do not do so much as they ought in support of so excellent an institution.
"I see by your applause it is only too true, and I must call upon you this evening to show that you have supported this charity in the most material manner. I thank you once more for the kind and attentive manner in which you have listened to the few words which I have uttered. I only regret that it has not fallen to the lot of another than myself to bring the subject before you, and I am sure that you will take the will for the deed. 'Prosperity to the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution!'"
The toast was drunk with all the honours, and the Secretary, Mr. C. Bousfield Shaw, read a list of subscriptions headed by the Queen with £25. The Prince of Wales gave, in addition to his annual subscription of ten guineas, a donation of 100 guineas. The largest list of collections was Mr. Naish's, of £465. The total amount was no less than £8000.
Mr. C. S. Read, M.P., then proposed the toast of "The Executive Council, the Secretary, and the Honorary Local Secretaries." In the course of his speech, he remarked that it had been well said by His Royal Highness that agriculture is exposed to more vicissitudes and difficulties than almost any other industry, and it was surprising that it should have existed so long without any benevolent institution. They must not forget in that room that they owed the fact that such an institution now exists to the kind and generous heart of their old friend, Mr. Mechi, the founder of this society; and the tenant-farmers of England would never forget the day when the Heir Apparent to the Throne of England condescended to preside at their annual banquet.
The Marquis of Huntly responded, and said as an example of the good done by active local energy, that in Cheshire they only had last year a donation of ten guineas, and subscribers of thirty-one, while from Norfolk, the Prince's county, with a smaller agricultural population, they had donations of £826.
The Prince of Wales then said:—
"The list of toasts which we all have before us has now come to an end, but I shall take the liberty of proposing one more toast, the last, but by no means the least. We have been honoured on this occasion by fair ladies, and I think it would be very wrong if we were to separate without cordially drinking their health. We see especially how much the comfort, the well-being, prosperity, and happiness of farmers and agriculturists depend upon a kind wife to cheer them by the fireside at the end of their day's work, and to lighten by female influence the load of difficulties. It affords me the most sincere pleasure to couple with this toast the name of one to whom this institution is so much indebted—Mr. Mechi. Lord Huntly has been mentioning to you the word 'energy'; and if it had not been for the energy of Mr. Mechi this society would never have existed. Let me also say, it would not be so prosperous as it is now if it were not for those energies and the assistance which he has given it. I hope the words and expressions which the noble marquis has lately made use of will not be lost by this company, and that all those who wish to further the work so worthily begun by Mr. Mechi will continue it, so that it may never decrease in funds for the excellent object for which it is designed. I beg to propose the toast of 'The Ladies,' coupled with the name of Mr. Mechi."
Mr. Mechi, in the course of his reply, said that the help of His Royal Highness would be of the greatest importance to the institution.
The way in which the Prince introduced the toast of the founder of the Institution was in his happiest vein. Mr. Mechi's death was a great loss to the agricultural community, for no one more efficiently brought their claims before the public. It may be added, that the tenant-farmers of the kingdom have no truer friend than the Prince of Wales.