40 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Officer of the Order of Leopold upon our distinguished friend Dr. 
Maxwell Masters, F.R.S., who is to take the chair at the first session of 
our Conference to-day. ; 
The announcement of the honour conferred on Dr. Masters came as 
a complete surprise to all present, and was received with continuous 
rounds of cheering and applause. 
After the luncheon the first session of the Conference was held in a 
marquee on the lawn. (See p. 55.) 
In the evening the foreign and distinguished guests were entertained 
at dinner, at the Hotel Windsor, Westminster, by the members of the 
Horticultural Club, under the presidency of Sir John D. T. Llewelyn, 
Bart., M.P. The dinner was of an informal nature, and was thoroughly 
appreciated by all present. The guests were delighted by the friendliness 
and enthusiasm of the greeting given them, one foreign Professor 
remarking that the dinner reminded him of his student days at the 
University, and that he had no idea the English could unbend so far ; 
another writing afterwards, “‘ As long as I am alive I shall remember 
that dinner at the Horticultural Club.” 
The heartiest thanks of the Royal Horticultural Society are due to 
the Horticultural Club for providing so enjoyable an evening for the 
Society’s guests. 
The second session of the Conference was held on Wednesday, 
July 12, at 2 p.m., at the Westminster Town Hall. (See p. 127.) 
In the evening a grand banquet was given by the Society to all the 
members of the Conference at the Whitehall Rooms of the Hotel 
Métropole. The tables were most beautifully decorated with a profusion 
of the rarest and most exquisite flowers presented by Messrs. Cutbush, 
Laing, G. Paul, W. Paul, Sander, Turner, and Veitch. The thanks of 
the Society are due to these gentlemen, but more especially to Mr. James 
Hudson, V.M.H., who devoted the whole day to arranging them, and also 
contributed all the beautiful hybrid Water-lilies which were so universally 
admired. The magnificent fruit was contributed by Mr. Geo. Monro, 
V.M.H. Itis due to both of these gentlemen to record that the authori- 
ties of the hotel bore witness that they had never in all their experience 
seen such a wealth of flowers and fruit, or any so beautifully arranged. 
Covers were laid for 180, and, besides the foreign and distinguished 
members of the Conference (see pp. 6-8), the guests included His Excellency 
the Belgian Minister, His Excellency the Netherlands Minister, the Right 
Hon. Lord Justice Lindley, Master of the Rolls, the Right Hon. the Earl 
of Annesley, Sir Edward Fry, J. Rutherford, Esq., M.P., the Master 
and Wardens of the Worshipful Company of Gardeners, R. McLachlan, 
Ksq., F.R.S., T. Dorrien-Smith, Esq., R. Milne-Redhead, Esq., Sidney 
Courtauld, Esq., and Mrs. Courtauld, T. B. Heywood, Esq., Dr. Fripp, 
N. N. Sherwood, Ksq., and Miss Sherwood, Frederick G. Lloyd, Esq., and 
Mrs. Lloyd, J. Wigan, Esq., Charles EK. Shea, Esq., Harry J. Veitch, 
sq., the Rev. P. Edwards, M.A., the Rev. Geo. H. Kngleheart, M.A., 
i. Gofton Salmond, Esq., and others. 
