230 



J'KOrKK|)I\(.S OF Tin: 



inixs" tt)r tlu' inrorinatioii of (lie I'cllows oi' ihc Society. A part 

 of tlu'so have alrfjidy been so published. 



In no fornuT year ]inve tlie Sorioty's Kxiiiiwtions been so 

 imnieroiisly atleiuli'd by visitors, and it is most }; ratifying to the 

 Council to know tliat the skill evinced in the cultivation of the 

 specimens brounlil forward for competition on these occasions 

 becomes every year more conspicuous. 'I'his observation ecpially 

 ajiplics to the exhibitions in Hei:;ent Street where tlie beauty of 

 many of tiie ])lanls is a theme of universal admiration. The 

 Council are of o|)inion tliat this threat iniproveinent in Hor- 

 ticultural skill must be chiefly ascribed to the measures for 

 so many years j)ersevered in by the Society with a view to stimulate 

 (Jardcners to exertion. I'lie number of visitors to the three 

 Garden exhibitions of 1840 was 1}).S44, the number of Medals 

 awarded duriny^ the year has been :j'27, of the money value of 

 834/. 3.V. 0(1., and thus" since May 1st 1830, the sum of 4 153/ 15.v., 

 has been expended by the Society for Medals alone. 



The Council point with satisfaction to the state of the Society's 

 FINANCIAL AFFAIRS, as rejjortcd by the auditors. The sum 

 received for Annual Su])scriptions from Fellows of the Society 

 exceeds that of 1839-40, by the sum of jC3fi.5. Hs.-, for Admis- 

 sion Fees by that of ,£75. I2s , and for balance of Garden Exhi- 

 bitions by that of ,£287. 5s. Jd. It will, however, be remarked 

 on the other hand, that no part of the Society's debt has been 

 paid off during the year, an extraordinary expenditure of 

 A*3060. 7s. 7fi. having been incurred ; thereby increasing the 

 open debt to the amount of £'1417. 2s. lOd. This requires expla- 

 nation. It will have been observed from the report made to the 

 Society last year, p. 423, that in the year 1835 it was considered 

 right, for the reasons therein given, to appropriate half the clear 

 profits of the Garden Exhibitions to a fund by means of which 

 the Garden might be gradually rendered more worthy of the 

 Society and of the country. The profits thus derived were as 

 follows : — 



£ s. d. 



1835 - . - - 1476 7 1 



1836 .... 2416 13 4 



1837 - - - - 1519 6 4 



1838 - - " - 1712 5 7 



£7124 12 4 



which divided by two gives the sum of £3560, which, for 

 financial reasons, had been applied to the discharge of debt 

 instead of having been actually set apart for the purpose for 

 which it was designed. The amount of debt at the last 



