157 
©ffidal IRepovts, 
REPORT OF THE COUNCIL 
To the Half- Yearly General Meeting of Governors and Members, 
held at 12 Hanover Square, on Thursday, December 12, 1889. 
The Council are glad to be able to announce that the second half- 
century of the Society's corporate existence will open with every in- 
dication of increased prosperity. During the year of presidency of 
Her Majesty the Queen the number of new Members elected was 
2,762 — an accession of support as gratifying as it is unprecedented. 
2. Since the General Meeting held on May 22 last, a total of 4 
new Governors and 578 new Members have joined the Society. The 
addresses of 24 Members who were not included in the total at the 
time of the last Report have since been found, and they are now re- 
instated on the effective list. On the other hand, 2 Governors and 
138 Members have died, and 189 Members have resigned, whilst 81 
Members whose present addresses have not been communicated to 
the Society have been struck off the Register under Bye-law 10, 
and 174 more have been struck off, under Bye-law 11, for the non- 
payment of their subscriptions. The names of many of the Mem- 
bers thus struck off have remained on the books for a considerable 
period since the last exercise of their privileges of Members, but are 
now expunged in order to a more accurate statement of the number 
of effective subscribers. 
3. The Society at present consists of — 
70 Life Governors, 
61 Annual Governors, 
3,728 Life Members, 
7,022 Annual Members, 
1 6 Honorary Members ; 
making a total of 10,897 Governors and Members, or a net increase 
of 31 since the General Meeting in May. 
4. During the last half-year the Council have had to deplore the 
loss by death of two of their colleagues— the Hon. Edward Coke 
and Mr. W. H. Wakefield. Mr. Coke had been a Member of the 
Council since 1883, and was well known as one of the leading 
