rent-free in Burlington House or elsewhere ; and they took 

 steps to seU the fine house in Eegent Street, which had been 

 purchased in 1820, and in which aU the meetings and general 

 business of the Society had ever since been held and transacted. 

 They appointed a new officer (Mr. McEwen) as sole Superin- 

 tendent of the Garden, at a liberal salary, and set agoing ex- 

 tensive alterations and improvements in the Garden itself. A 

 renewed attempt to revive the Exhibitions at the Garden in a 

 modified form was also made, and the experiment was limited 

 to one meeting, early in June, for flowers and Horticultural 

 implements ; and in order to diminish the risks attendant upon 

 unfavourable weather, the Exhibition was extended over two 

 days, so that, if the first day should be wet, the second might 

 stUl be available. The privilege which in former times had been 

 occasionally enjoyed by visitors to the Exhibitions, of access to 

 the beautiful grounds of Chiswick House adjoining the Society's 

 Gardens, was on both of these occasions again hberaUy conferred 

 by his Grace the Duke of Devonshu^e. A great Exhibition of 

 Fruit was also held in London in the month of October, to 

 which kitchen-garden produce was made admissible. Unfortu- 

 nately, neither the June Meetings at Chismck nor the Fruit 

 Show in London proved remunerative, notwithstanding their 

 attractions, which were everything that could be wished. 



The alterations and imjjrovements which had been made in 

 the Gardens at Chiswick, with the view of making them more 

 resorted to by the Fellows, were not found to answer their 

 purpose. The practical result of the expenditure upon these 

 alterations and on the Exhibitions was, that in the course 

 of the two years 1836-7 and 1857-8 the whole of the 3000/. 



