142 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



I February 12, 1874. 



he had found, by refreshing his memory, that instead of the 

 Society coming as a suitor to the Commissioners, the Com- 

 missioners, at the time when the Society was in great diiflculty at 

 Chiswick, were contemplating the preparation of the central part 

 of the land at South Kensington as a garden, to be surrounded 

 by Italian arcades, and had conceived the plan of doing what the 

 Horticultural Society were afterwards made to assist them in 

 doing. It was therefore above all things necessary that the 

 Fellows should form an accurate judgment of the rights of the 

 case between the Society and the Royal Commissioners [hear, 

 hear]. 



Mr. QuiLTER thought the best course was to adjourn the 

 meeting for a month [no]. 



Mr. Godson had arrived at the opinion that the Council had 

 not teen legally appointed, and they ought to put the Council 

 in a jiroper position. He should now move 



The Ch.ueman. — You are out of order. You cannot move an 

 amendment upon an amendment; you mtist dispose of the 

 amendment first [hear, hear]. I shall now read the amend- 

 ment. 



The amendment was then put, and on a show of hands there 

 ■were — 



Por the Amendment 52 



Against it 71 



Majority against it 19 



Mr.' Cole demanded that proxies should be taken. 

 When the proxies were counted the poll stood thus — 

 For the Amendmentll^"^;/^-^-::;::;;:; i?3 



225 



Against the ^^^^^ \^^ ""^^ -::- ,1] 



231 



Majority against the Amendment 6 



The announcement of the numbers was received -with cheers. 



The Chatejian then put the motion for the adoption of the re- 

 port, which was unanimously carried. 



Lord A. Chuechill moved that the resignation of the old 

 Council be now accepted. 



The Chairman. — That was done at a former meeting. 



A vote of thanks was then given to the noble Chairman, and 

 the meeting then separated, having lasted over two hours. 



At the Annual General Meeting of the Koyal Horticultural 

 Society, held on the 10th, my name was so freely used by some 

 of the speakers, that I feel you will allow me the opportunity of 

 ■writing my defence. I was accused of " plotting against the 

 Society," and one member who sat behind the table told me " I 

 was not a Fellow, but an honorary member," " that I had no 

 bufiness in the room, or power to pass anyone into the Gaidens," 

 and Ihat " if I was not ashamed of myself I ought to be, as I had 

 acted most disgracefully, &c." I aiErm that the Society unani- 

 mously elected me a forty- guinea life Fellow, in consideration of 

 which I hold two transferable tickets, with certain privileges. 

 The latter part of the accusation must be answered at more 

 length. 



I have been intimately acquainted ■with the business of the 

 Society for thirteen years, during which time many clever horti- 

 culturists and financiers have sat on the Council. At the end of 

 my connection with the Society the old Council had been re- 

 placed by gentlemen, the validity of whose elections had not 

 only been questioned, but the resignations of their predecessors 

 disputed by eminent legal opinions. As a well-wisher of the 

 Society I consider that these doubts should be placed beyond all 

 question, and therefore I did not hesitate to act with Lord A. 

 Churchill, Sir Daniel Cooper, and others, in trying to induce the 

 Fellows seriously to go into the matter, either by means of a 

 friendly law-suit, or the highest legal opinion obtainable ; in fact, 

 I did the secretarial part of the work, and some few of the cir- 

 culars bore my name. A resolution was settled upon, and 

 ordered to be printed for circulation amongst those attending 

 the meeting, experience telling us that no fair hearing could 

 be obtained or views explained with any clearness when the 

 matter differed from the views of a certain section. For the 

 above reason I passed two people on my tickets (not into the 

 meeting-room, for that I knew to be wrong) to distribute the 

 papers, and for these offences I have the latter part of the 

 accusation made against me. 



At the risk of hints as to the "decease of my trumpeter," I 

 cannot help adding in conclusion, that so far from "plotting 

 against the Society," I have been consulted by those in power 

 upon many important points, to which I have never hesitated to 



give my best attention and advice, besides devoting many weeks 

 of my time in aiding the work of the Society long after receiving 

 any remuneration. I do not regret this, far from it, and I only 

 name it now to show I am not the traitor some (though very few 

 I am happy to say) would make me out.— James Eiciiabds. 



Eepobt of the Council to the Annual General '^" 

 Meeting. 



The Council, in presenting their Eeport, have to congratulate 

 the Society on the success of its operations during the past year. 



The Chiswick Garden has been well kept up, numerous grafts 

 of fruit trees have been distributed, and every effort made that 

 they should be of the best kinds. An extensive trial of Potatoes 

 and French Beans has been made, with a view to determine the 

 best varieties and to settle their nomenclature. Every effort 

 ought to be made in view of the interests of country Fellows to 

 promote the efficiency of the Chiswick Garden. The Directors' 

 Eeport is enclosed with this paper. — - ' 



The Council announce, with great satisfaction, that Dr. Hooker,, 

 President of the Eoyal Society, has accepted the chairmanship 

 of the Scientific Committee; and they take the opportunity to 

 again invite Fellows to send for examination to the Society's 

 Scientific, Fruit, and Floral Committees any specimens which 

 may appear to be of interest or importance. The provincial Show 

 held at Bath was a horticultural and financial success, but it is 

 proposed to make very material alterations in the arrangements 

 of future provincial shows, with the object of increasing their 

 scientific value and social comfort. 



At South Kensington the Shows have been very Buccessful ; 

 the displays of pot Koses have surpassed those of previous years, 

 among which Mr. Paul's enormous exhibition attracted great 

 admiration, while the fine collections of spring and alpine 

 flowers have greatly stimulated cultivation in those special 

 directions. Messrs. Waterer's Ehododendron tent gave the 

 public a great opportunity of selecting specimens of this tribe of 

 plants, and to Lord Londesborough special thanks are due for 

 displays of Orchids which were objects of universal interest and 

 curiosity. 



After consultation with some of the principal exhibitors it has 

 been thought good to reduce the number of the shows, with a 

 view of increasing their importance, and it is hoped that this 

 course will meet ■with the unanimous support and co-operation 

 of those interested in these arrangements. 



To increase the public usefulness of the Gardens, it has been 

 decided to reduce the admission fee on Saturdays to Is., and to 

 make Fellows' orders not available for that day. 



An intimation having been conveyed to the President, in July 

 last, that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales desired th& 

 use of the Society's conservatory for a ball to be given to their 

 Imperial Highnesses the Czarevich and Czarevna, the Council 

 felt that they would best meet the wishes of the Fellows by at 

 once placing the consei-vatory at His Eoyal Highness's disposal. 

 In their opinion no precedent for the use of the Society's Gardens 

 for any private purpose has been thereby created. 



It is important for the interests of the International Exhibi- 

 tion, held yearly at South Kensington, that arrangements 

 should be from time to time entered into with the Royal Horti- 

 cultural Society for the purpose of facOitating communication 

 between the two wings of the Exhibition building, and for the 

 general convenience of visitors to the Exhibition and Gardens. 

 Last year the present members of Council, who only entered 

 upon their duties a few days before the opening of the Exliibi- 

 tion, found the Exhibition Commissioners very desirous to enter 

 into some such arrangements. Committees, selected by the 

 Exhibition Commissioners on the one hand, and by the Council 

 of the Royal Horticultural Society on the other, met to negotiate 

 these arrangements, and it was understood that b(»th parties had 

 full power to treat. Without such arrangements the Com- 

 missioners would have been unable to fulfil contracts with ex- 

 hibitors already made, and without the sanction of the Eoyal 

 Horticultural Society. 



An agreement was accordingly entered into, and as a special 

 act of courtesy to the Exhibition Commissioners, the Royal 

 Horticultural Society consented to allow it to come into opera- 

 tion before it was finally executed. The Council have, however, 

 to state with regret that the Commissioners having enjoyed the 

 full benefit derivable from the terms agreed upon, alterwards 

 refused to ratify important parts of the agreement. 



The Council have deemed it advisable to employ the services 

 of a professional accountant in making up the financial state- 

 ment of the year. They now present the accountants' report - 

 and a copy of the accounts, duly audited, may be had on appli 

 cation at the Secretary's ciBce. 



On -1th April the balances in the bankers' hands were: — 



At credit of the Revenue Account £2265 19s. 9(J. 



Do. of the Provincial Show Account AllB'j 19s. 6d. 



The Council found debts owing by the Society, some of them 

 of not less than five years' standing, and amounting up to 



