Royal Agricultural Improvement Society of Ireland
Ballinasloe, Thursday evening.
This day, the exhibition terminated, and under circumstances rendered most unfavourable by the state of the weather. Rom dawn till evening the rain almost unceasingly poured down in torrents. The show-yard has been completely flooded, and consequently quite deserted – and with scarcely an exception, all kinds of business, unless, perhaps that of the hotel keepers, is at a standstill. Several sales by auction of prize ad other cattle, of farming implements, &c., fixed for the day have, unless in one instances, where a few inferior animals were disposed of, been postponed, it being found impossible to proceed with them under the circumstances. Now that I have had time to ascertain what several here with whom I have conversed think of the exhibition, I can state that it is generally considered as having proved rather a disappointment, at least of the very expectations, which the public had been led to entertain on the subject. Had there not been so much talked and written by anticipation concerning it, the affair might have given much more satisfaction, but so magnified, so exaggerated were the accounts by anticipation, that though a fair average exhibition certainly, yet it failed to realize the notion as to its unparalleled splendour which had been thus excited. Several lodging keepers also suffered from the same cause – the exorbitant prices demanded by them leaving additional apartments which they had provided for the splendid occasion altogether on their hands.

Mr. Hugh Ferguson, veterinary surgeon of Dublin, delivered a very able lecture today in the court-house, before a crowded audience, on the principle functions of animal organization, and the prenset epidemic among cattle.

The banquet took place this evening at half-past five o’clock, in the new Agricultural Hall. About five hundred persons sat down to dinner, which was served under the same management as the entertainment on the previous day.

At five o’clock the chair was taken by his Grace the Duke of Leinster, and the vice chair by Lord Clonbrock.

The same toasts proposed last evening were again given and acknowledged by
The Earl of Devon, Lord Clonbrock, Sir Percy Nugent, N. Redington, M.P ; the Earl of Erne, Mr. Hugh Watson, Mr. Torr (an English gentleman), Mr. John Grey, Lord Castlemaine, Mr. Hugh Grey (who was presented with the silver challenge cup for the second time), Mr. George Macartney, of Lowther Lodge ; Admiral Trench, Mr. john Wayne, Mr. J. L. Napar of Loughcrew ; Sir John Bourke, Bart. ; and Mr. Denis Kelly ; after which the company separated at 11 o’clock.

There was nothing in any of the speeches to make their publication of interest, as they were almost perfectly similar to those delivered at the annual dinner on Tuesday.
The King’s Co. Chronicle
Vol. 1 No. 3
Wednesday, Oct 6th, 1845