PASTORAL AND AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION;

Wellington Independent, Volume XVI, Issue 1688, 26 November 1861, Page 5

PASTORAL AND AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION;

A Meeting, convened by advertisement, was held at the Athenamra yesterday afternoon, to comiier the expediency! of establishing a Pastoral and Agricultural Association in this Province. The meeting was very respectably attended- , % On the motion of James Smith, Esq., seconded by George Hunter, Esq., his Honor I. E. Featherston was called to the Chair. His Honor explained the object for which the meeting had been convened, and, Reviewed ' the history of the various societies that had been established in Wellingtou. He also alluded to the great agricultural capabilities of this, Province, and the many benefits that would be conferred upon the community by the establishment of a properly conducted Agricultural Associution. In the course of an eloquent address, whicb was listened to with marked attention, his Honor stated that an application had been made to Sir Roderick Murchison to send out at competent person to make a geological survey of this Province.. The announcement was received with much applause. His Honofc then «•' called upon Mr. Stokes to address, the meeting. . Mr. Stokes, in a 'speech of considerable, length, proposed the first resolution. He alluded to the fact, that nearly every, Piovince in New Zealand, even Southland, had its Agricultural' Society ; but Wellington had yet tojbrm one. He pointed out the benefits which the Highland Society of Scotland, and the Royal Agricultural * Society of England hud conferred upon the Mother Country in the improved tillage of the soil, drainage, breeding of stock, and growth of grain, and said that although he did not anticipate that the new society would be enabled to do as much good as those societies had > done, yet as a humble follower in their footsteps it would confer innuraerable.advantages on the ' community. He expressed Ifis pleasure at the - announcement that the Gty(j7vmient had tfiken, steps to secure a geological survey jof thi^ Pro; vinee. He rei^l a statement 7k' tbe exports of produce frtftn the several Provinces in New 1 Zealand, -shewing that Wellington, ', next 'to Canterbury, had exported the greatest quantity of wool. Reiridicatedtheway in which a Society 7 of the kind might be useful to the /polony, and 77 directed attention to thp v good done: 6y7;ai: similar Society iv the Australian Co Jppi v es7by:^ the introduction of the Alpaca. He ; con|ljadeji^7 by passing a high eucoriium upoh'i^|||i^|fe||| Grey, who, he felt obnfideritffwou^ his power tp further 1 the object'they haa7il_^_»^^ and who had. already . done goodt7syervice ?l>y v^jf^S troduciug animals .fromTth^ "•'"dl^fsbifaiiie'i^fl^ this'Coioqy, yM^pt&o9it^)^&£^H^^ jowinfcwsblutio^ " That in the, opinion of .this xM^mW^^^m