^londivj.  May  30,  1904. 
223 
3.  The  total  number  of  Governors  and  Members  now  on 
the  Register  is  9,477  (as  against  9,398  in  May,  1903),  divided 
as  follows  : — 
3 Foundation  Life  Governors  (Members  elected  before 
the  granting  of  the  Charter  on  March  26,  1840), 
viz.  : Professor  J.  Beart  Simonds,  Mr.  W.  Barrow 
Simonds,  and  Mr.  J.  P.  Fletcher  ; 
68  Governors  paying  an  annual  subscription  of  51.  ; 
93  Life  Governors  ; 
5,906  Members  paying  an  annual  subscription  of  11.  ; 
3,264  Life  Members  ; 
111  Life  Members  by  Examination  ; 
32  Honorary  Members  ; 
9,477  Total  number  of  Governors  and  Members. 
4.  Mr.  Hermanns  Johannus  Lovink,  Director-General  of 
Agriculture  at  The  Hague,  has  been  elected  as  an  Honorary 
Member  of  the  Society  in  the  room  of  the  late  Dr.  C.  J.  Sickesz 
van  de  Cloese,  of  The  Hague,  whose  death  the  Council  record 
with  regret. 
5.  The  Balance-sheet  for  the  year  1903  has  been  duly 
examined  and  certified  as  correct  by  the  Auditors  appointed 
by  the  Members,  and  by  Messrs.  Welton,  Jones  & Co.,  the 
professional  Accountants  employed  by  the  Society  ; and  it  is 
printed  as  an  Appendix  to  this  Report  [see  pp.  xii  and  xiii], 
together  with  a letter  from  the  Society’s  Accountants  [see  page 
xvi],  explanatory  of  the  new  form  of  presenting  the  year’s 
accounts  which  they  have  advised  the  Council  to  adopt.'  A 
Sub-committee  has  for  some  time  been  engaged  in  considering 
the  present  expenditure  of  the  Society,  and  has  presented  to 
the  Council  a Report  making  various  recommendations  which 
have  been  referred  to  the  several  spending  Committees 
concerned,  and  from  the  adoption  of  which  it  is  expected  that 
substantial  economies  will  result. 
6.  The  (piestion  of  the  present  mode  of  procedure  for  the 
election  of  Members  of  Council  has  been  carefully  considered 
by  the  Council,  who  are  advised  that  the  terms  of  the  Society’s 
Charter  preclude  the  adoption  of  any  other  system  than  that 
now  in  force,  viz.,  the  election  of  those  Governors  and  Members 
present  at  the  Anniversary  Meeting  held  in  May,  of  25  Ordinary 
Members  of  Council  in  the  room  of  those  who  retire  by  rotation. 
As  it  api)eared  that  Members  were  not  sufficiently  aware  of 
the  powei’S  of  nomination  and  election  which  they  at  present 
possess  under  the  Charter  and  Bye-laws,  the  Council  issued  to 
all  the  Members  in  March  last  a circular-letter  of  explanation 
and  a list  of  the  attendances  at  Council  and  Committee  meetings 
