that this increase would have been considerably larger, 

 had not unfavourable weather at both the Easter and 

 Whitsuntide holidays, as well as on several Saturdays 

 during the summer months, materially affected the amount 

 of THE Receipts at the Garden Gates. 



The sum received from this source was, however, 

 £2492 above the average of the whole 28 years which have 

 elapsed since the foundation of the Establishment (the Ex- 

 hibition year only excepted), having amounted to £9204 17*« 

 and being £751 Is. in advance of 1855. 



The Garden Receipts of the eight most successful years 

 take the following order : — 



1851 ....... £22,248 



1831 £11,425 



1853 £11,343 



1854 £10,799 



1850 £10,462 



1830 £9,774 



1836 £9,463 



1856 £9,205 



As the support which is thus afforded to the Society by 

 the Public entirely depends on the efficiency of the esta- 

 blishment and the interest created by the Collection, the 

 Council confidently rely on the increase of visitors in the last 

 year to the extent of 29,182 persons, as satisfactory evidence 

 that they still preserve the element of attraction which is 

 vitally essential to the maintenance of an adequate income. 



The Subscriptions for past, present and future years 

 amounted to £2782 9s. This sum presents a slight de- 

 crease as compared with the subscription of 1855, but that 

 solely arises from the fact of a larger amount of subscrip- 

 tions in arrear having been obtained in that year. The 

 number of Fellows having been increased by 23, the sub- 

 scription of 1857 will certainly not fall short either of 

 1856 or of 1855. 



The Admission Fees of new Fellows produced a sum of 

 £335, exceeding the like head in 1855 by £25, while the 

 Life Compositions, amounting to £330, presented a de- 

 crease of £100. The sum received on this account in 1855 

 was considerably above the average, and as this source of 

 Income is necessarily variable, the present receipt cannot 

 but be considered as a favourable indication of confidence in 

 the stability of the Society on the part of the new Members. 



