Society to its former 



years have become life members, their subscriptions representing 

 a sum of about £13,300. 



The expenses, however, have been, and to complete the works 

 must be, great, and the Council, as the Society is already aware, 

 found it necessary to apply for authority to raise, by debentures, 

 a sum of £10,000, in addition to that of £40,000, which was 

 already sanctioned by the Society. This authority was granted by 

 the Fellows at a Special Meeting held on the 19th of April, and 

 such was the feeling entertained of the prospects of the Society, 

 that in less than a fortnight more than double the sum required 

 was offered, although the loan was never advertised for, nor any 

 publicity given to it other than the intimation to the Fellows 

 themselves in the Notice calling the Special General Meeting. 

 That meeting was held so recently that it is unnecessary to 

 'advert more particularly to the terms and arrangements relating 



An account of the money received and expended on the Ken- 

 sington Gore account to the 31st of March will be found in the 



The General Account, representing the state of the liabilities 

 and assets of the Society before the recent alterations, has worked 

 its way into a satisfactory state. 



On the 2nd of June, when the new lease of the Kensington 

 Gore Gardens comes into operation, the two accounts hitherto 

 kept separate will be amalgamated. 



The Council, under the agreement with Her Ma,iesty's Com- 

 missioners for the Exhibition of 1851, and the other arrangements 

 of the Society, found it necessary to apply for a New Charter. 

 This has been for some time in preparation, and it is expected to 

 pass the Great Seal within a few days. 



The ordinary working of the Society has been going on satisfac- 

 torily during the last li3 months. Several ballots for seeds and 

 plants have taken place, and this mode of distribution has found 

 favour with the Fellows. The confining the ordinary distribution 

 of flower and vegetable seeds to those who apply for them is 

 acknowledged (now that the rule is understood) to be a proper 

 regulation. By devoting the large conservatory at Chiswick to 



