180 REPORT OF THE COUNCIL, 



All the seeds collected in his last journey into the North- West Interior 



of New Holland from Lieut.-Colonel Sir Thomas Mitchell. 

 Various Nepal Seeds from the Honourable Court of Directors of the 

 East India Company. 



The most important of these are mentioned in the Journal of the Society 

 as they come into flower or fruit. 



In the same place will also be found the result of the experiments carried 

 on in the Gardens, more especially with respect to Potatoes; and a long and 

 valuable series of observations on the temperature of the soil from 1837 to 

 1847. 



The new regulations for the admission of young men into the Garden, 

 reported at the last Anniversary, have been found to work well, and effectu- 

 ally to limit the candidates for admission to tlie best educated and most in- 

 telligent class of young gardeners. The Committee have, however, found 

 it necessary to introduce a rule that no Fellow of the Society shall have 

 more than one person at a time employed in the Garden on his recommenda- 

 tion, and that the age of the men shall not exceed twenty-five when they 

 are received. 



Two of the men, John Grey and William Wren, have passed the pre- 

 scribed examination with credit, and have left the Garden for places. 



The influence of the Reading Room over the improvement of the young 

 men is found extremely beneficial. Attendance at it is regular, the conduct 

 there praiseworthy, and the diligence of the men such as to deserve the 

 favoui'able notice of the Committee, who find that the books most in demand 

 are such as appear to have the most direct relation to the future objects of 

 the men as gardeners. 



Twenty-nine evenings have been occupied by Lectures or special instruc- 

 tion since the last Report. 



The Committee have to express their acknowledgments to the Rev. F. E. 

 Thompson for his gratuitous assistance in holding three examinations in 

 Arithmetic, and in delivering Five Lectures : two on the properties of 

 numbers, and three on simple mechanical forces. 



With the aid of the subscriptions of one guinea each from Mr. Salmon 

 and Mr. Horsman Solly, formerly reported, the men have for five evenings 

 enjoyed the advantage of being instructed in the useful art of making 

 ground-plans, by Mr. Francis Rauch, a gentleman possessing great skill in 

 that department of gardening. 



They have also to thank Mr. Nathaniel Lindley for two lectures oh Heat 

 and Combustion. 



And they have to report that Dr. Lindley has himself delivered fourteen 

 lectures on various subjects connected with gardening, viz. : — One on the 

 Education of Gardeners, ten on the Theory of Horticulture, two on the 

 Diseases of Plants associated with parasitical Fungi, and one on the Habits 

 and Primary Distinctions of Insects. This officer has also endeavoured to 

 encourage the men by giving small prizes of money or books for the most 

 successful competitors in making ground plans, collecting and naming wild 

 plants, arithmetical exercises, and other matters connected with gardening. 

 His prizes for wild plants were increased by the subscription of \L by W. 

 Hasledine Pepys, Esq. 



During the year the resources of the Reading-room have been increased 

 by some small purchases on account of the Society and by the following 

 donations, viz. : — 



From J. F. Leathes, Esq., F.H.S. :— 



A lithographic drawing of a large Gourd, 196 lbs. in weight. 



From Francis Rauch, Esq. : — 



A plan of the Public Gardens at Versailles. 



