vi Report to the General Meeting. 
ants, and has beien printed in the October number of the 
Journal for the information of Members. 
Since the date up to which that statement was made, the 
Council have found it necessary to sell out the 2,010/. Is. Zd. 
Consols, and 4,000Z. of the New Three per Cents, belonging 
to the Society (making 6,010L Is. Zd. in all), towards meeting 
the exceptional expenditure which has been incurred during 
the year. 1,135?. of this expenditure represents the cost of 
New Entrances for the Country Meetings, and about 1,800Z. 
the cost of the alterations and improvements in the Society's 
House. There was a loss of 1,004L in connection with the 
Spring Show of Stallions which took place at Newcastle in 
January 1887 ; and a further loss of about 2,000?. in connec- 
tion with the annual Country Meeting at the same city in 
July. In addition to the above, a grant of 1,300Z. to the 
family of the late Secretary has been made, as reported at 
the General Meeting in May last. 
A Special Committee of the Council, consisting of the 
Chairmen of the various Standing Committees, is now engaged 
upon an examination of the expenditure of the Society, and 
the Council have reason to hope that as a result of its labours 
considerable economies will be effected. 
The attendance at the Newcastle Show was upon the 
whole satisfactory, although the numbers admitted on the 
half-crown days fell below expectation, and the closing day 
(Friday) was marked by inclement weather. On the Thurs- 
day, however, the unprecedentedly large number of 77,869 
persons paid for admission. 
The Exhibition of Stock was in many respects far above 
the average, and with the exception of the Battersea and 
Kilburn Meetings, no such completely representative display 
of British breeds of Live Stock has ever been seen at the 
Country Meetings of the Society. 
The trials of Portable Agricultural Steam Engines, con- 
ducted under the superintendence of Sir Frederick Bramwell 
and Mr. William Anderson, as Consulting Engineers of the 
Society, were followed with much interest, and the Council 
have reason to believe that the considerable expense involved 
in these trials, amounting with the prizes to about 800Z., has 
