179 Continued rise of Expenses 189 



The Treasurer's financial statement showed that his dis- 

 bursements to complete the payment of tavern bills had 

 amounted to 41 133. 3d. and there was a balance of 

 13 55. Qd. due to him. In order to clear off that debt 

 and provide for the expenses of the next year it was resolved 

 that a call of two guineas each should be made on the 

 members. The total number of members and guests who 

 had dined since the last anniversary was 565, of whom 

 444 were members and 121 were visitors. 



The death of two members, Sir Robert Barker and General 

 William Roy, was announced. One member who had not 

 attended for more than a year was declared by ballot to 

 have forfeited his membership. In the case of the Rev. 

 Sir Richard Kaye, Bart., Dean of Lincoln, who was also 

 a defaulter, the ballot affirmed that he should still be 

 considered a member. 



The number of vacancies to be filled was declared to be 

 four and the list of candidates was duly read. As the result 

 of the ballot only one member was elected Dr. Patrick 

 Russell, who had been a member of the Club for some }7ears 

 from 1776 onwards, but when he went to the Carnatic 

 under the auspices of the East India Company, had resigned 

 his membership. Having now returned to England he made 

 application to be readmitted a member (p. 136) . His election 

 was unanimous. Advantage was taken of the occasion to 

 make a rule for such cases in future, and it was unanimously 

 resolved : " That a member of the Club who resigns his 

 seat on account of leaving the kingdom, shall upon applica- 

 tion to be re-admitted, have a preference in the order of 

 ballot to other candidates." 



Among the rare references to contemporary events out- 

 side the Royal Society and the Club there occurs on the 

 Dinner-register of I2th August 1790 the following addendum: 

 " Being the birthday of His Royal Highness George, Prince of 

 Wales, his health was drunk by the members of the Club." l 



1 The Prince's health was also toasted in 1784 (ante, p. 170), and may often 

 have been at other times, though in the registers reference is hardly ever 

 made to any toasts. 



