Vlll PKOCEEDINGS OF THE EOYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
There appeared to be only two alternatives — either to abide by the 
existing Bye-laws, or to petition Her Majesty to grant a new Charter. 
The expense involved in the latter course has hitherto been an obstacle, 
but at the beginning of the present year (1899) the conditions of the 
Society's finances appeared to the Council to be such as to warrant a 
petition being made to Her Majesty for a new Charter, and a con- 
siderable part of the year has been employed in drawing it up. The 
petition to Her Majesty and a draft of a new Charter were submitted to 
a General Meeting of the Society held on June 21, 1899, and were 
unanimously adopted and ordered to be sealed with the Society's Seal and 
presented to Her Majesty the Queen. 
The Council have much pleasure in announcing that, on the advice of 
the Privy Council, Her Majesty acquiesced in the Petition, and on the 
14th day of November signed the Supplemental Charter, and ordered it 
to be sealed with the Great Seal of the Kingdom. 
The Council have appointed a Committee to draw up a draft of 
new Byc-laws, which they hope to lay before a General Meeting at no 
distant date. 
The subject of the celebration of the approaching Centenary of the 
Society in March, 1904, is naturally attracting considerable attention. 
After the consideration of various excellent projects (some of which, 
however, appeared impracticable on account of their expense), the 
Council have decided to recommend the acquisition of a new Garden 
in the place of Chiswick, as being, under all the circumstances, the best 
and most practical method of celebrating the Centenary. A garden 
for experiment and trial is an absolute necessity for the Society, 
and Chiswick has recently become so surrounded with buildings, and 
the atmosphere so heavily charged with smoke, that not only has the 
difficulty of cultivation enormously increased, but it is feared that 
the results obtained from the trials are rapidly ceasing to be reliable. 
It is therefore proposed to issue an appeal to all the Fellows, and to 
raise a Fund for the purchase of a more suitable site for a garden, in 
memory of the first hundred years of the Society's existence. 
The Council fully recognise the advantage of the Society's possess- 
ing a hall of its own in which plants, flowers, and fruits can be 
seen by the Fellows under more favourable conditions, as regards 
light and space, than are possible in the building at present used 
for the meetings. They do not, however, as yet see their way to its 
attainment, but will be happy to consider any suggestions concerning it. 
The Council have the sad duty of recording the death of fifty-four 
Fellows during the year, and among them they regret to find the names 
of the Duke of Westminster, Lord Clifden, Sir E. Frankland, F.R.S., 
Sir J. W. Kelt, Bart., Lady Howard de Walden, Lady Huntingfield, 
Lady Melville, General Berkeley, Major Mason, Mrs. Milne-Redhead, 
Miss De Leon, Mr. T. Francis Piivers,V.M.H., Mr. Malcolm Dunn,V.M.H., 
Monsieur Henri de Vilmorin, Herr B. Stein, Mr. S. Courtauld, Mr. T. 
W. Girdlestone, Mr. G. Fry, Mr. J. Saltmarsh, Mr. M. Cammell, Mr. 
W. H. Protheroe, Lord Penzance, Sir Henry Tate, Bart., Lady Vincent, 
