culture of our State. The nature and extent of my expectations on this head were stated in my last annual report. For the same reasons, the domestic correspondence of the Society was commenced at a period much later than usual; and although I have made the most strenuous efforts to repair the loss occasioned by this delay, the communications received have been less numerous and varied than might have been otherwise anticipated. In retiring from an office which, were it again tendered to me, accumulating engagements would compel me to decline, I feel that I may without indelicacy suggest certain alterations in the tenure of that office, which would render it less onerous on the incumbent, and probably tend to give it greater efficiency. My own labors have been freely given; nay, I shall always look back with pride and pleasure to the feeble efforts which I have been permitted to contribute to the success of the Society, and thereby to the advancement of agriculture. But to enable every one to judge something of the extent of the duties devolving upon the Corresponding Secretary, I will state that in the three years during which I have held the office, I have written upwards of sixteen hundred official letters, independent of the other duties of the office, which are by no means nominal. I would recommend therefore that the offices of Corresponding and Recording Secretary be consolidated, and that a reasonable salary be allowed to the incumbent. Whether this change should be immediately made, or whether it would be expedient to first ascertain whether the aid of the State will be continued to the Society, is a matter for the Society to determine."

REPORT OF THE TREASURER.

The Treasurer, E. P. PRENTICE, read his Annual Report, from which it appeared that there was in his hands at the last annual meeting, the sum of........

Received at annual meeting, from 69 members,.

$1,843 92

$69 00

The payments from the Treasury during the year were as follows:

Mr. DENNISTON, of Orange, introduced a resolution directing the appointinent of a committee of one from each Senate district, by the Chair, to report the nomination of officers for the ensuing year, which, at the suggestion of Mr. BOCKEE, was increased to three from each district.

Mr. RANDALL moved as an amendment to Mr. D.'s resolution, that the committee consist of one person from each county represented, to be appointed by the delegation from the several counties, and that this committee, in addition to nominating officers, report on the place for holding the next Cattle Show.

This resolution and the amendments proposed, drew out a debate of considerable length, in which Mr. Denniston of Orange, Lott of Kings, Johnson and Seymour of Oneida, Hogeboom of Columbia, Randall [Assembly, No. 100.]

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of Cortland, Nott of Albany, and several other gentlemen, whose names we do not recollect, participated.

Mr. DENNISTON finally accepted the proposition to amend his resolution so as to refer to the committee the question of selecting the place for the Fair, in which shape it passed, and the following gentlemen were appointed the committee to nominate officers and to select the place for holding the next Cattle Show.

First District-Messrs. Lott and Rappelje of Kings, and F. S. Williams of New-York.

Second District-Messrs. Denniston of Orange, Bockee of Dutchess, and Youngs of Queens.

Third District-Messrs. Hogeboom of Columbia, Vail of Rensselaer, and Prentice of Albany.

Fourth District-Messrs. Cheever of Albany, Delavan of Saratoga, and Clark of Washington.

Fifth District-Messrs. Kirby of Jefferson, Enos of Madison, and Seymour of Oneida.

Sixth District-Messrs. Mack of Tompkins, Collier of Broome, and Faulkner of Livingston.

Seventh District-Messrs. Sherwood of Cayuga, Rhoades of Onondaga, and Randall of Cortland.

Eighth District-Messrs. Lee of Erie, Follett of Genesee, and Backus of Monroe.

Essays at the Annual Meeting.

With the view of exciting increased interest towards the Annual Meetings, the following proposition, offered by John P. Beekman of Columbia county, was unanimously adopted:

Resolved, That the President of the Agricultural Society of the State of New-York, be authorized annually to appoint three individuals, members of the Society, to prepare and read Essays on subjects connected with Agriculture; and that such Essays be read at the Annual Meeting in January of each year, in addition to the usual Annual Address.

Agricultural Publications for dissemination through the School District Libraries.

The following propositions were presented by Henry O'Reilly, accompanied by some remarks:

WHEREAS, It is important to the interests of Agriculture that public attention should be turned, more effectually than it is now turned,

towards the connexion between Scientific Knowledge and Agricultural Improvement:

AND WHEREAS, In the opinion of this meeting, the State Agricultural Society cannot render a greater service to the cause for which it is established, than by promoting the dissemination of Knowledge respecting the Sciences, particularly the Natural Sciences, in their connexion with ordinary agricultural industry:

Be it therefore Resolved, That with the purpose of eliciting discussion on this important subject, and placing the means of information within reach of every inhabitant of this State, a Premium of One Hundred Dollars be and it is hereby offered, for the best series of Essays "On the Importance of Scientific Knowledge in prosecuting successfully the ordinary pursuits of Agriculture."

Be it also Resolved, That the Premium aforesaid should be left open for competition until the first day of January next, or some other suitable day which will leave sufficient time for judgment on the merits of the Essays offered under these resolutions-the said Essays to be of a popular character, presenting scientific truths divested as far as practicable of technicalities-not to exceed in size two volumes of the "School District Library"-and the copy-right to remain with the author, under a recommendation from this Society that the publishers of books for the said School Districts Libraries should incorporate the said Essays among their series of works for general circulation.

Resolved also, That a committee of seven members of this Society be appointed to examine the Essays offered in competition; to award the Premium under these resolutions; and to lend all practicable aid to the author in causing the publication of the work in a manner best calculated to promote the great purposes of this Society in disseminating useful knowledge among the Farmers of the Empire State.

These resolutions elicited sundry remarks from the President, from Mr. Nott of Albany county, Mr. B. P. Johnson of Oneida, and other gentlemen; and were finally unanimously approved.

Prize Essays on Agriculture.

In accordance with the views expressed in the foregoing preamble and resolutions, Mr. O'Reilly offered another proposition, which, after remarks from several members, was unanimously adopted, in the following form:

Resolved, That the committee of seven, to be appointed under the foregoing resolutions, be also directed to select from the Premium Essays among the published Transactions of the State Agricultural

Society, such Essays as may be most appropriately published in volumes of suitable size for the Family and School District Libraries; and that the said committee be authorized to make arrangements with some of the book-publishers for issuing such volumes of Prize Essays, at reasonable prices, for general circulation among the farmers of this and other States; having due reference, in such arrangements, to the pecuniary interests of this Society in connexion with the said publication; and seeing, at least, that no expense shall be incurred, if no compensation can be had for the copy-right.

[The committee of seven contemplated for carrying into effect the foregoing resolutions, was subsequently appointed by the newly elected President (Dr. Beekman), as follows: the Hon. John Greig of Ontario, Gov. Seward of Cayuga, Lieutenant-Governor Dickinson of Broome, Col. John A. King of Queens, James S. Wadsworth of Livingston, Judge Savage of Washington, and Henry O'Reilly of Albany.] Election of Officers for 1844, &c.

The Committee on the Nomination of Officers and for the selection of a place for the next Annual State Fair, reported that, in reference to the latter subject, they had decided in favor of Poughkeepsie for this year, although appreciating the arguments used by the different gentlemen friendly to locations at Utica, Auburn and Buffalo.

After considerable animated discussion, the report was approved in its decision favorable to Poughkeepsie.

The report on the nomination of officers was then acted upon; and after some modifications, occasioned by declensions to serve, was unanimously approved; and the following persons were declared to have been lawfully elected for the year 1844:

President-JOHN P. BEEKMAN, Columbia.

Vice-Presidents-1st District, JAMES LENNOX, New-York city; 2d do. THOMAS L. DAVIES, Poughkeepsie, Dutchess; 3d do. JOEL B. NOTT, Guilderland, Albany; 4th do. JOHN SAVAGE, Salem, Washington; 5th do. EDMUND KIRBY, Brownville, Jefferson; 6th do. GEORGE J. PUMPELLY, Owego, Tioga; 7th do. H. S. RANDALL, Cortland Village, Cortland; 8th do. RAWSON HARMON, Jr., Wheatland, Monroe. Corresponding Secretary-BENJAMIN P. JOHNSON, Rome. Recording Secretary-HENRY O'REILLY, Albany. Treasurer-THOMAS HILLHOUSE, Albany.

Additional Members of the Executive Committee-GEORGE WILKINSON, Poughkeepsie; J. M'D. M'INTYRE, Albany; GEORGE VAIL, Troy; ALEXANDER WALSH, Lansingburgh; JOEL RATHBONE, Albany.