BREAKFAST AT THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume VI, Issue 288, 8 November 1878, Page 7

BREAKFAST AT THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS.

Recently the Council of the Zoological Gardens entertained a number of guests, including several distinguished members of the British Association, at breakfast, which was laid out in one of the jnosl enjoyable spots of the gardens, the acquarium. Mr, John Lentaigne, D.L., presided. After breakfast, which went on amidst a pleasant clatter of voices. The Chairman bade the company welcome in the name of the Zoological Society of Ireland, and called upon the Key. Dr. Haughton. The Rev. Dr. Haughton said — Mr. President and gentlemen, we welcome to the Zoological Gardens of the city of Dublin this morning, for third time, the British Association. On the last occasion, in 1857, the position of secretary, which I now occupy, was held by the genial and gifted Dr. Robert Ball, so long and so well known as the skilful t secretary of this society. lam happy to say that although he has passed away — having died in the same year in which the Association then met — the society to which he belonged is represented amongst us in the persons of his three sons — Dr. Robert Ball, the distinguished Astronomer Royal ; a medical doctor, residing in Wales ; and a geological son (laughter), who holds an important post in the geological survey of India. Without meaning any disparagement of his two other sons, I would wish to say that Valentine Ball inherits, mentally and physically, the most characteristic features of his father's mind and body. His gentle, kindly nature — his intense love of animals, and, at the same time, his ardent desire to shoot them and keep their skulls (laughter), marks him out as his father's son, while in solid cubical contents of body he not only excels his father, but many in this room (laughter). If anything could persuade me to become a convert to Mr. Darwin's theory it is my knowledge of the fact that the treasurers and secretaries of so peculiar an institution as these j Zoological Gardens have continued to be made by natural selection. ! Most other gardens are maintained chiefly for the purpose of showing live animals as neaT as possible in a state of nature to those who have no opportunity of seeing them in their own countries. Now, our society, though possessing many valuable animals, won't compare for a moment with other zoological gardens that you know of — yet it has many interesting peculiarities of its own, which I will endeavour to point out. The Zoological Gardens of Dublin are maintained for the purpose of keeping up an institution which we call the zoological breakfast (laughter), of which you have had a specimen this morning (laughter), and its success has been so brilliant that my friend Dr. Lawson Tate, whom I am happy to number among our guests to-day, is possessed of a spirit of laudable emulation to establish zoological gardens at Birmingham with the object of having zoological breakfasts (Laughter). I therefore prefer on the present occasion, instead of speaking of the animals, with which our visitors are better acquainted than I am, to refer to the peculiarities of the society itself and its council. The society in the first place is extremely poor, and has a large number of animals to feed, and the country gentlemen of Ireland, let me add, are extremely shabby in their support of it, yet they expect to have zoological gardens for their wives and children to go to when they come to Dublin. The result is to throw most'of the expense upon the citizens of Dublin, who have done their duty always well by the society (hear, hear). Gentlemen, as you can easily imagine in such a peculiar institution, the treasurer and secretary must be peculiar men (laughter). First with respect to our treasurer, he must pay his trademen with I 0 U's, and afterwards abuse them when they ask for their money (laughter). This has gone so far at times that our poverty became notorious, and not a bank in Dublin would discount our bills. What was to be done 1 The treasurer and I went as a deputation to the Bank of Ireland, and we asked for a loan of £200, which, to our great surprise, was refused (laughter). A happy thought then occurred to me — to offer to deposit a live tiger with the bank as a pledge (loud laughter). For some strange reason the offer was declined, but we got the loan of £200. Our excellent treasurer, Mr. Maxwell Hutton, who has an hereditary Btrain of financial talent, derived from his father, who was our former treasurer, now supports me as purse-bearer, as his father supported my predecessor. Before proceeding to the special duty of the morning, I will recall one or two facts taken at random from the history the many financial crises through which these gardens have passed — which will give you some idea of the extraordinary shifts to which the secretary and treasurer have been occasionally put to provide the necessary funds for feeding their large stock of pets. We had H leopardess which had been caged in the garden for well-nigh seven~teen years. She was in excellent health and condition for an animal of that age. Gentlemen, I advertised that leopardess for sale, and named her price, £30. I received several offers of £25, but wrote in reply that the market for leopardesses was rising, and that these interesting animals no longer continued to look down (laughter), and that my next advertisement would raise the rate to £35, Upon this I was favoured with several offers to take the leopardess — all of which offers except one contained a very unpleasant inquiry about the animal's age. But by the blessing of Providence one letter made no allusion to this rather delicate subject (laughter). I sent off the animal at once, and received on her arrival a single line by telegraph, expressed in words that show me that the sender, if an Englishman, must have had a strong dash of Irish blood in his body. The words were these :—": — " Mr. So-and-so, animal dealer, to the Rev. Dr. Haughton" (every one is particular about the leverend in addressing me) — " She is as old as the devil " (loud laughter). I leave it to moralists to say why persons who are ordinarily truthful and honest in dealings about soap, candles (laughter), tobacco, timber, or slates become utterly demoralised when engaged in the barter of live animals. If I had time I might enter on the discussion of this by myself, but not having time, perhaps some of the statisticans of Section F will take up the question which I now throw out for their consideration (laughter). For myself, I can only say that I was virtuously brought up, had the advantage of a pious mother, and can still repeat my catechism ; but I feel as the result of my twenty years' connection with this garden, that partly from the pinch of poverty, and partly from the demoralisation connected witu the sale oi animals (laughter),

my moral sense has been dwarfed not a little. All I can say in eelfjustification is that if the secretary of the Dublin Zoological Gardens sold his leopardess, and also sold the buyer of the leopardess, he did it with the full knowledge of the fact that the dealer would have sold me if he could (loud laughter). Another story to illustrate our many difficulties. I told you before that our country gentlemen are not liberal in the support of the Zoological Gardens, and I resolved to turn an honest penny on them, I, therefore, crossed a line breed of Australian dingoes with Labrador water dogs, and I advertised splendid watch-dog pups for sale (laughter). I sold them off at two guineas each, until our funds were again replenished. All went well while the dogs were pups, but when the brutes grew up and the wild strain of the sheep-killing blood burst out, accounts appeared in the newspapers of strange, wild-looking animals in Clare, Mayo, and Roscommon slaughtering the sheep (laughter). There is a gentleman in this room now who knows a farmer, twelve of whose sheep were killed by one of these wonderful watch-dogs (laughter). As soon as the sale ceased I thought it better to stop the breeding of the dogs, and I made a clean breast of the whole business at an annual meeting of our society, informing my friends that they need be no longer alarmed, as the sale had provided sufficient funds for the time to relieve our difficulties, and savp us from resorting to this expedient. Some time ago, considering the danger to my morals involved iv filling the office of secretary, I had some thoughts of resigning it, and I consulted with a clerical friend in whose piety and wisdom I had much confidence. He told me it was a difficult case — not provided for in the books (laughter). He thought if my health allowed it I might keep the place for some time longer, but he advised me, as a friend, to retire from it some time before death, to give time for repentance (laughter). In considering the best means of entertaining our friends of the British Association, during the present visit, it was resolved by the council to collect in our gardens a number of the various breeds of men — that they should be gathered into this aquarium, acd I should act the part of showman and exhibit them to you. As specimens of the true English breed J offer Mr. Spottiswoode, the President of the British Association, and the Presidentelect of the Royal Society of London, Sir Joseph Hooker, the existing President of the Royal Society, and our friend Professor Huxley, whom we welcome here if possible with more cordiality than any other person, in consequence of the substantial service he rendered to our gardens ten years ago, when he acted as a member of the commission to report upon the scientific institutions of Ireland. Doctor Sterryhunt well represents Canada, and America is equally well represented by Professor Cope — its medical school by Doctor Daily, of Pittsburgh. I also intend to show you some specimens of Irishmen, and as one of the true Irish breed I have to introduce my friend Dr. Kavanagh, President of Carlow College, a descendant of the M'Dermott Murroughs, the ancient kings of Ireland. Dr. Kayanagh informs me that his grandmother was an Englishwoman. This accounts for some of the few defects in his character (laughter). A. word or two on another breed — the Anglo-Irish. The first peculiarity about them is that they are more Irish than the Irish themselves. We all come from pure-bred Englishmen. I myself came from Lancashire. I don't know what invasion I came over with (laughter). Others came over with Cromwell, and cut throats with Cromwell. And this also they are proud of, and they would cut any man's throat now who would seek to injure an Irishman (laughter). As to those who came over with William the Dutchman, take the skin off them andjyou will find that they, too, are true Irish. There is another class, one that is not yet fully developed, a class about which my friend the Attorney. General knows more about than I do — I mean those who came over with Sir Michael Hicks-Beach (laughter) and Jimmie Lowther (laughter). And I here offer my best thanks to the Government for at last sending us a secretary with a nickname (laughter). There must be something good about a fellow who is called Jimmie, although as Judge Morris said on one occasion, it would sound strange to call his predecessor Mickey (laughter). There is a future before Ireland, arising out of this extraordinary power of assimilation, that the Irish race possesses. The Irish women are so beautiful that the Englishmen can't help admiring them (hear, hear) ; and their children become Irish. From American statistics I learn that the Irish women in America are far more prolific than the native American women — in fact, we will gradually work them out (laughter). And when the day comes when the control of the world has passod from England to America, it will pass into the hands of the genial Irish race. I would take this opportunity of saying a few words on lan important subject. I take the opportunity of saying, in the name of every Irishman of culture and education present at this British. Association meeting, we offer our best thanks to the present Government for their Intermediate Education Bill. I believe I know largely the feelings of my educated fellow-countrymen, and I believe the bill itself, and above all the wisdom and skill shown in the choice of the commissioners to work the bill, shows that some one was behind the scenes — one who knew Ireland, not merely in dark holes and corners, but who knew every part of Ireland, Ulster, Munster, Leinster, and Connaught ; and I venture to say that the public will never know how many obligations they owe to my old friend the Attorney-General for Ireland and member for the University (applause). I believe that Ireland will soon have happier and more prosperous times, and we hail with gratitude this offer of friendship in the shape of aligner ectucationfrom the English people (applause). Weekly I&ecma?i.