16 
for the centre and one wing of the building, and £1324 
for the remaining wing, together to £3920. ‘The con- 
tractors were bound by their contract to have had the 
first portion ready on the Ist of November last; and the 
Council were very anxious to have removed the African 
Elephants into the new building before Christmas, their 
present temporary situation in the Eland-house being very 
inconvenient and ill-adapted for these animals. In these 
hopes the Council regret to say they were disappointed, 
the contractors, owing, as they allege, to causes not under 
their control, having been unable to complete the first 
portion of the building at the time specified. But the 
remaining portion was commenced early in the year, and 
has been lately completed, so that the opening of the 
whole building will not be long delayed atter the period 
originally determined upon. 
The sum of £1570 12s. 9d., being the first portion of 
the expenditure of the new Elephant-house, was paid in 
1868, and forms the third principal item of extraordinary 
expenditure for that year. 
2. VISITORS. 
The total number of visitors to the Gardens in the year 
1868 was 573,186, being 16,972 more than in the year 1867. 
They are divisible as follows :— 
1867. 1868. | Comparison. 
Fellows and Friends ..........eseeesssenesss 153,712 | 167,923 | Incr. 14,211 
On ordinary days at 1s.each | 321,658 | 113,894 | Decr. 7,764 
On Mondays and other days \ 
Paying at Gd. each .............ce00e peu elie gaa NTE 2) 
Children under 12 t 
6d. e00h nese } | 31,355 | 30,746 | Deer. 609 
Charity Children and others having 10.555 
? 
STECACMISSIOM ee apeatscneecesucet scan 13,109 | Iner. 2,554 
556,214 | 573,186 | Incr. 16,972 
The following Table gives the number of visitors to the 
Society’s Gardens in each year since they were first opened. 
It will be observed that there were a greater number of 
entrances in 1868 than in any of the preceding years, 
except the two Exhibition years 1851 and 1862. 
