162 



REPORT OF THE COUNCIL, 



The number of Fellows elected has been larger than in any 

 year since 1843 ; and the occasional use of the meeting- room has 

 been granted to another Society, the Pathological, at a rental of 

 30/. 



Arrears. 



The want of punctuality in the payment of subscriptions con- 

 tinues to be felt inconveniently, and to be a source of expense to 

 the Society, the unpaid arrears being in reality provided for, in 

 a great measure, by the Society's bonded debt, which bears 

 interest. The Council are therefore anxious once more 

 to draw the attention of gentlemen who are in arrear to the 

 extreme importance to the Society of greater exactness in this 

 matter, and to represent that the efficiency as well as prosperity 

 of the Society greatly depend upon the regular discharge of the 

 pecuniary engagements of those who form its members. 



Auditors. 



With a view to the more efficient examination of the Society's 

 accounts, the Council, in the absence of any by-law on the sub- 

 ject, have appointed during the past year three Fellows of the 

 Society, not members of the Council, to audit the accounts quar- 

 terly, and they propose that in future the Auditors for the year 

 shall be nominated at each Annual General Meeting. The 

 Council have, moreover, determined that, considering the exten- 

 sive nature of the Society's accounts, the Auditors should be 

 remunerated for their trouble, and they have therefore authorized 

 the payment of one guinea each, to each Auditor, for every 

 quarterly attendance, upon the delivery of their Report. 



Transactions. 



The £ Journal ' has continued to appear with regularity on 

 the 1st of January, April, July, and October ; and the Council 

 trust that the Fellows of the Society recognize the advantage which 

 it possesses over the old quarto ' Transactions ' in enabling the 

 Council to present the public regularly at short intervals with 

 matter of permanent value, relating to Horticulture, at a smaller 

 expense than was formerly incurred by the i Transactions/ 



The Council have to announce under this head that the com- 

 plete Index to the 10 volumes of the 1 Transactions' has been 

 completed, is now in the press, and will appear in the course of 

 the summer It has been compiled with very great care, and 

 will, it is hoped, form a complete reference to every article in- 

 cluded in the very important original papers on Horticulture 

 which have proceeded from this Society since its incorporation 

 in 1809. 



