113 



JOURNAL OF HOKTICULTUKE A^ID C;.-irAG£ GAKDEXER. 



[Febiaary :6, ISU. 



official Tesponsibility in' public matters, lie should be glad to see Mr. 

 Bateman re-elected that day a member of the Council, to share ■with 

 the rest of the members the responi^ibiJitT of the agreement entered 

 into with the Commissionei-s of 1S51, ■which he as a good Fellow of 

 the Eoyal Horticultural Society Trould ■wish to see improved or at an 

 end. Mr. Bateman said, and truly said, he greatly regretted the use of 

 the northern arcades. "When Mr. Bateman -was a member of Council 

 it was true the Commissioners did debar the Fellows from the use of 

 the northern arcades ; but since the amended agreement had been 

 entered into the Fellows had returned to them, and the Commissioners 

 had put up a roof or covered way, which had just been fonned and 

 would be kept up until the exhibition was at an end. His friend Mr. 

 , Godson, with whom he had the pnvilege of crossing swords on a former 

 occasion, gave great and full credit to Mr. Bateman for his speech, 

 which was quite different from what he was in the habit of hearing 

 from him. He (Lord H. Lennox) quite agreed with Mr. Godson as 

 to the biiUiancy of Mr. Bateman's speech, but the chief brilliancy in 

 it was that opinion given, when the truth was out, that he was the last 

 man who would find fault with the Council — when he fully" admitted 

 the difliculties they had to contend ■with, and cheerfully acknowledged 

 how well they had surmounted them [hear, hear]. That was the fact 

 of Mr. Bateman's speech which the Council accepted cheei-fully, and 

 for which they tendered to him theu* thanks ; and he (Lord H. Lennos) 

 hoped that when Mi*. Bateman rejoined the Council he would be able 

 to say to the Fellows, '■ "We have met here to-day. Last day I was in 

 the position of an elector, now I am in that of a minister, and I will 

 give to yon an account of my stewardship" [hear and laughter]. 

 Now, his friend Mr. Bateman said persons had told him that the 

 visitors to the gardens of the exhibition would amount to some five 

 hundred thousand. 



Mr. Bateiia>". — From five to seven hundred thousand. 

 Lord H. LE^"^"05. — "Well, from five hundred thousand to seven 

 hundred thousand. It was highly probable that of those who visited 

 the exhibition many circumstances must tend to diminish or increase 

 the number ; and there was nothing about which doctors differed so 

 much as to what numbers would probably come, but he and his friends 

 were in a position to say — from the information and opinion of those 

 to whom the fullest credit may be attached in a matter of this hind — j 

 that the number of persons who would visit the exhibition — now that - 

 they could breathe again at the end of the fearful struggle abroad — ' 

 would i"un from two to eight millions [hear, hear]. In that case, if ; 

 the numbers only reached the lower figure, the arrangement made 

 with Her Majesty's Commissioners would very soon repay the Fellows 

 of the Society. His friend Colonel Challoner wished to see the balance 

 sheet plainer. AU he could say on the part of the finance ofiieers 

 was that they should be only too grateful ii Colonel Challoner put 

 himseK in comm'unication with them, and suggested any means by 

 which they could simplify the accounts. No doubt the experience of 

 Colonel Challoner would be very useful to them. Mr. Godson also 

 said, that grateful as he was to the Dnhe of Devonshire, he wished 

 the Council had told the Fellows how far the Society had been 

 benefited by the garden at Chiswich. But it should be borne in mind 

 that the Council say in the Keport : " The Annual General Meeting 

 ha^ving left the question to the decision of the Council, they proceeded 

 to mate inquiries, but whilst engaged upon them his Grace the Duke 

 of Devonslure, in a most liberal spirit, expressed his readiness, if the 

 Society chose to remain at Chiswick, to accede to an arrangement for 

 the renunciation of the lease of a portion of the garden ; and accord- 

 ingly a new agreement was entered into ■with His Grace, by which the 

 garden is reduced from thirty-two acres to less than twelve, and the 

 rent has sustained a cori-esponding reduction." That was the answer 

 to Mr. Godson ; the Duke of Devonshire had allowed them to reduce 

 their garden from thirty-two acres to 3ess than twelve, and the rent 

 had sustained a corresponding reduction. And it was after that 

 sentence that the following, which probably drew out Mr. Godson's 

 observation, came : — *' The Council are of opinion that the thanks of 

 the Society are due to the Duke for the liberality with which he has 

 treated them, both in respect of rent and the terms on which the re- 

 newed lease is granted. These terms leave to the Society the option 

 of relinquishing Chiswick whenever they shall judge it conducive to 

 the success of its operations to seek another garden. They therefore 

 recommend to the meeting to record a vote of thanks to His Grace." 

 He (Lord H. Lennox) was willing to answer any further question that 

 might be put to him before he went away. The presence in the chair 

 of his illustrious friend, Prince Teck, was most encouraging for the 

 Society [applause]. No one knew better than Mr. Bateman the 

 difficulties the Society had had to encounter for a long time. He 

 thought the Keport which had been submitted to the meeting was a 

 proof that the Society was steadily — slowly and sui*ely — assuming the 

 place which was intended for it by the illustrious Prince Consort 

 [cheers]. 



Mr. Godson wished to know, with respect to the agreement entered 

 into as to Chiswick garden, what was the term of years given, because 

 the Society had spent £20,C00 or £30,000 on the place. How much 

 of that, he should Hk e to know, was preserved to thu Society ? 

 Lord H. Lexxox. — Twenty-one year?, lud to be renewed at will. 

 Mr. GoDsox. — At the option of the Council and Fellows? 

 Lord H. Le>"nox. — Yes. 



Mr. Bateiiax said with regard to a remark of bis noble friend 

 (Lord H. Lennox), that he should have probably spoken difiVrently 



had he been on the platform among the members of the Council, he 

 would only say his n^ble friend was aware, as otHers were, that when- 

 ever any matter was brought before the Council, he (Mr. Bateman) 

 never departed from what he considered the right course [hear_. 



Lord H. Lexsox said he had spoken from his parliamentary ex- 

 perience, which had shown him how much easier it was to speak when 

 in opposition than when sitting at the Treasury side of the House 

 _laugliter_. 



The resolution for the adoption of the Heport was then put and 

 carried. 



The results of the ballot were then declared ; James Bateman, Esq.. 

 F.B.S., John Kelk, Esq., and E. J. Lowe, Esq., F.E.S., having been 

 elected members of the Council in the room of the vacating members 

 — Andre ST Murray, Esq., F.L.S., Sigismund Rucker, Esq.,F.L.S., and 

 Dr. Thomson, F.K.S. The officers were also appointed as follows — 

 President, His Grace the Duke of Buccleuch, K.G. ; Treasurer, John 

 Clutton, Esq.; Secretary, Lieut. -Col. Scott, E.E. ; Expenses Com- 

 mitteemen, John Clutton, Esq., TV. "Wilson Saunders, Esq., F.E.S., 

 and Sigismund Eiicker, Esq.. F.L.S. : Auditors, James Nicholson, 

 Esq., John Gibson, Eeq., and Bobert Hudson, Esq., F.K.S. 



The Beport of the Auditors having been read, 



Lord H. LE>rN"ox said it had been forgotten to return thanks to 

 Col. Scott, who was the excellent Secretary of the Society, and worked 

 without any remuneration. He therefore begged to move a vote of 

 thanks to Col. Scott [hear, hear]. 



Mr. Bate^tax seconded the motion, which was carried. 



Mr. GoDsox ventured to tender His Serene Highness the heartfelt 

 thanks of the meeting for coming there and presiding on that occa- 

 sion. He assured His Serene Highness that the Society need not 

 look to the future ■with any apprehension, but, on the contrary, to 

 great success, if he gave as patient attention and hearing at the 

 Council as he had that day in presiding over the meeting [applause]. 

 He begged to propose that the thanks of the meeting be given to His 

 Serene Highness. 



Colonel Challo>"EF. in seconding the motion, said it was a great 

 advantage to have a member of the Royal Family amongst them, and 

 they ought all to be proud at any member of that family taking the 

 chair at their meeting [hear hear]. 



The motion having been carried by acclamation, 



His Serent: HIGH^-ES5 said — In the unavoidable absence of your 

 President, I was asked to perform the duties of Chairman, which any 

 one, indeed, could perform better than myself. I beg to express my 

 satisfaction at being associated with this Society, for I take a resd 

 interest in horticulture, and to thank you for yonr kindness [applause]. 



The proceedings were then brought to a close. 



Report of the Cor>'ciL to the A>'>xal Ge>-eral Meeti>-g. 



1. The Council have the satisfaction of announcing to the Fellows 

 that a considerable improvement has been effected in the financial 

 position of the Society since the last Annual General Meeting. They 

 can also speak with satisfaction of the horticultural work of the past 

 year and of the promise of the present one. They have again to report 

 an increase in the number of Ftllows ; the number now on the books 

 is .3376, being an increase of twenty-five since the last annual Report. 

 The Dumber of resignations has been unusually small during the past 

 year, which is another hopeful sign of the increasing popularity of the 

 Society. 



2. The actual amount of subscriptions received is about the same as 

 in 186S and 1869. In the former year it was £7113 ; in 1S69, £7193 ; 

 and in 1S70, £7177. That the receipts have not kept pace with the 

 increase of Fellows is due to the fact that the Fellows have not ao 

 largely availed themselves of their privilege of obtaining transferable 

 tickets as in former years. It is to be hoped, therefore, that the full 

 value of the increased number of Fellows has not yet been felt, and 

 that a return of the commercial prosperity of the country will bring 

 with it a coiTCsponding desire to the Fellows to obtain for their friends 

 the advantages which the transferable ticket system confers. 



3. The receipts from exhibitions during the past year were higher 

 than in 1S6S or 1S69, and the Council have the pleasure of reporting 

 that, notwithstanding the greatly increased number of shows, the 

 exhibitions of the Society may again be said to be self-supporting. 

 After a trial of two years "the Council see no room for improvement in 

 their established arrangements, excepting in matters of detail. These 

 aTrant^ements appear to be satisfactory both to the Fellows and to the 

 exhibftors, and since they are also financially successful, and are adapted 

 to the exhibition of the progress of horticulture throughout all the 

 seasons of the year, it may be safely assumed that they are more 

 conducive to the advancement of the objects of the Society than those 

 which they have supplanted. The exhibitions of the last year, re- 

 garded as a whole, have never been surpassed in usefulness and 

 brilliancy. 



4. The country show at Oxford was the least successful, from a 

 financial point of view, of those hitherto yet held. The Council are, 

 however, not discouraged by the solitary instance of a slight loss on these 

 valuable endeavours to increase the Society's usefulness and popularity. 

 This year's Show is to be at Nottingham, and if any opinion can be 

 formed from the interest there felt in the visit of the Horticultural 

 Society, the Nottingham Show will mark a new step in the career of 

 usefulness on which the Society entered when it undertook the sys- 



