174 



IIEI'OIIT OF Xllli COUNCIL, 



finer than any that had before been witnessed, proving that, up to 

 the present time, English Horticulture continues to make steady 

 progress. The Council have peculiar satisfaction in making 

 this statement, because they feel tiiat the pre-eminence of Modern 

 English Ganlening is, in a great degree, attributable to the 

 encouragement it receives from the Fellows of the Society, not 

 only in tlieir corporate capacity, but as private individuals. 



Tiie number of visitors experienced a material diminution, in 

 consequence of llie unfavourable weather, wiiich was cold and 

 unsettled in May, with a falling barometer, and in June became 

 so decidedly bad, that the whole number of visitors on the 10th 

 of that month was but 870. And although the Exhibition in 

 July, when Ills Grace the President again added the attractions 

 of Chiswick Gardens to those of the Society, was visited by the 

 unprecedented number of 14,084 persons, even so large a con- 

 course was insufficient to counterbalance the deficiency of May 

 and June. In the whole 18,114 tickets were issued, which was 

 5803 fewer than in 1846, and 2959 fewer than in 1847. In this 

 season only 259 more tickets Avere issued than were used. 



It being some years since any return of the comparative 

 numbers of visitors on the three days of exhibition was published, 

 the following statement on the subject is given, complete to 

 1848:— 



