Although the subjects, strictly speaking, belong to other 

 heads than the one now under consideration, they are yet so 

 intimately connected with the exposition of the Society's 

 financial condition, that it is desirable to advert in this place 

 to the Giraffes and to the New Museum, the acquisition of 

 which has led to the extraordinary expenditure more espe- 

 cially referred to. The payments required on these ac- 

 counts, at a season when the Income of the Society is com- 

 paratively small, rendered it necessary that a portion of the 

 Invested Capital should be disposed of; and the Council 

 have accordingly been compelled to have recourse to that 

 fund for an advance to the amount of £2000. In accordance 

 with the principle before laid down, with reference to the 

 disposal of any portion of that fund, the Council reported to 

 a General Meeting of the Society, previously to giving orders 

 for the sale of it, the necessity that existed for an advance 

 from that source, and stated that the proceeds of the sale 

 must be considered as a loan to be repaid at the earliest op- 

 portunity. The same steps were adopted on the only other 

 occasion on which a portion of the Invested Capital has been 

 sold; this occurred in December, 1833, and the amount then 

 raised was replaced before the Anniversary Meeting in the 

 following year. 



Taking into account the whole of the existing liabilities, 

 including the engagements entered into for the importation 

 of the Giraffes, and for the greater part of the fittings of the 

 New Museum, the financial condition of the Society at this 

 moment may be stated at about £2100 short of its condition 

 at the same period of the last year : a diminution of the ba- 

 lance in its favour, dependent on the outlay for those two 

 extraordinary undertakings, which amounts at the present 

 time to nearly £4000 ; the payments already made and the 

 liabilities incurred on account of the Giraffes being nearly 

 £2000, and those on account of the Museum approaching 

 very closely to the same sum. 



The Council docm it necessary to advert particularly to 



