XCll 
General  Meetiny  of  Governors  and  Members. 
within  their  income.  Why  did  they 
not  have  a better  response  from  their 
enormous  number  of  Members  to  the 
appeal?  Most  bodies  of  directors, 
when  they  found  that  their  share- 
holders did  not  support  them,  came  at 
once  to  the  conclusion  that  they  were 
on  the  w'rong  track,  and  that  they  did 
not  sufficiently  command  the  con- 
fidence of  their  shareholders.  He  was 
sorrj'  to  have  to  say  that,  but  it  was 
patent  to  every  one,  and  the  case  of 
the  Society  was  a desperate  one.  He 
urged  them  not  to  wait  another  year 
before  they  began  to  set  their  house 
in  order. 
The  Pkesident  then  put  the  motion 
for  the  adoption  of  the  Report,  and 
declared  it  to  be  carried  unanimously. 
Vote  of  Thanks  to  Auditors. 
• On  the  motion  of  Mr.  H.  Grixlikg, 
seconded  by  Mr.  ^V.  Fitzherbebt- 
Brockholes,  a cordial  vote  of  thanks 
was  passed  to  Mr.  Jonas  M.  W^ebb, 
Mr.  Hubert  J.  Greenwood,  and  Mr. 
N.  P.  Squarey  for  their  services  as 
Auditors  during  the  past  year,  and 
these  Members  were  unanimously  re- 
elected asAuditors  fortheensuingyear. 
Proposed  Supplemental  Charter. 
The  ordinary  business  of  the  meeting 
being  thus  concluded,  the  meeting  was 
made  Special,  with  a view  to  consider- 
ation of  the  terms  of  the  Petition  to 
the  King  in  Council  for  a Supple- 
mental Charter  to  the  Society. 
The  President  explained  that  tlie 
Council  had  had  this  draft  Petition 
before  them  at  a meeting  held  that 
morning,  and  had  approved  it  for 
submission  to  the  General  Meeting  of 
Governors  and  Members.  He  asked 
the  meeting  to  allow  the  Society’s 
Solicitor  to  read  the  Petition,  and  to 
explain  its  provisions. 
Various  Members  raised  the  question 
as  to  whether  the  draft  Petition  and 
Charter  could  be  properly  considered 
by  the  meeting  in  view  of  its  not 
having  been  previously  circulated,  and 
Mr.  B.  St.  John  Ackers  suggested 
that  a copy  of  the  document  should 
be  circulated  to  all  the  Members,  and 
that  the  Members  should  be  called 
together  again  to  have  an  opportunity 
of  considering  it  and  discussing  it 
together. 
Lord  Winchester  moved  that  the 
present  meeting  be  adjourned  until  a 
convenient  date  in  January,  and  that 
during  the  interval  a copy  of  the  draft 
Charter  should  be  circulated  amongst 
the  Members. 
Colonel  Ince  seconded  the  motion. 
The  President,  in  accepting  the 
suggestion,  said  that  perhaps  Wednes- 
day, January  11,  at  2 o’clock,  would 
be  a convenient  time,  as  the  next 
meeting  of  the  Council  was  convened 
for  that  morning. 
Mr.  Eedred  W’alker  suggeste<l 
that  the  meeting  should  be  held  during 
the  week  of  the  Shire  Horse  Show, 
when  an  opportunity  would  be  given 
for  more  Members  to  attend. 
The  President  said  he  thought 
this  date  would  be  too  late  ; and  it 
was  then  formally  decided  to  adjourn 
the  meeting  until  2 p.m.  on  January 
11,  1905,  for  the  further  consideration 
of  the  terms  of  the  Supplemental 
Charter.' 
Vote  of  Thanks  to  Chairman. 
Mr.  William  Cooper,  in  moving 
a hearty  vote  of  thanks  to  the  Presi- 
dent for  his  services  in  the  Chair  that 
day,  said  that  his  Lordship  had 
exercised  the  greatest  possible  patience, 
and  he  was  sure  that  they  were  all 
deeply  indebted  to  him. 
Lord  Winchester,  in  seconding 
the  motion,  said  he  thought  that  the 
result  of  the  postponement  of  the 
consideration  of  the  Charter  until 
January  11  would  be  to  unloose  the 
purse-strings  of  Members,  who  by 
contributing  to  the  Fund,  would  en- 
able the  Council  to  hold  a Show  in 
1905.  He,  for  one,  felt  that  what  had 
been  accomplished  that  day  was  a 
great  step  towards  making  the  Royal 
Agricultural  Society  popular,  and  if  it 
were  felt  necessary  to  hold  a Show 
next  year  he  would  be  happy  to  send 
a donation  to  the  Society.  He  hoped 
that  his  example  in  this  respect  would 
be  followed  by  all  those  who  had 
discussed  the  question.  He  therefore 
asked  the  meeting  to  tender  a vote  of 
thanks  to  their  noble  President,  and 
' At  this  adjourned  meeting  on  January 
11,  1905,  the  Petition  for  a Supplemental 
Charter  was  approved,  and  the  Peiition 
was  subsequently  sealed  with  the  seal  of 
the  Society,  and  deposited  at  the  Privy 
Council  Office. 
