Wednesday,  December  8,  1909. 
313 
6.  The  Members  of  Council  who  retire  by  rotation  at  the 
forthcoming  Annual  Meeting  are  those  representing  the  electoral 
districts  of  Group  C.  As  the  number  of  Members  resident  in 
both  Shropshire  and  Staffordshire  had  exceeded  300  on  the  1st 
August  last,  each  of  those  two  Divisions  is  now  entitled,  under 
By-law  83,  to  two  representatives.  The  necessary  steps  have 
been  taken  in  both  these  Divisions  for  the  election  of  a second 
Member  of  Council,  and  the  results  will  be  reported  at  the 
Annual  Meeting  at  the  same  time  as  the  announcement  is  made 
with  regard  to  the  Divisions  of  Group  C. 
7.  Under  the  By-laws,  the  balance-sheet  has  to  be  presented 
for  consideration  at  the  Annual  General  Meeting.  The  Council, 
therefore,  beg  to  submit  the  balance-sheet  for  the  year  1908 
with  the  Statement  of  Ordinary  Income  and  Expenditure. 
These  accounts  were  published  in  Volume  69  of  the  Journal 
issued  to  members  last  March,  having  been  duly  examined 
and  certified  as  correct  by  the  Auditors  appointed  by  the 
Members,  and  by  the  professional  Accountants  erhployed  by 
the  Society. 
8.  Since  the  last  Annual  Meeting  the  Society’s  funds  have 
benefited  to  the  extent  of  2,000Z.  under  the  Will  of  the  late 
Mrs.  Mary  Bridget  Johnston,  of  Widcombe,  Bath. 
9.  A Special  Committee  of  the  Council,  appointed,  on  the 
recommendation  of  the  Finance  Committee,  to  consider  the 
claims  of  various  Committees  for  increased  Grants,  has  met 
several  times  during  the  year,  and  a Sub-Committee  has  made 
an  investigation  into  the  whole  scientific  side  of  the  Society’s 
work.  As  a result  of  the  Special  Committee’s  deliberations, 
the  Council  have  decided  to  set  aside  a further  sum  of  lOOZ. 
for  the  improvement  of  the  Society’s  Journal.  This  will 
increase  the  amount  devoted  to  the  Journal  to  700L 
10.  Mr.  William  Carruthers,  F.R.S.,  who  has  held  the  office 
of  Consulting  Botanist  to  the  Society  since  the  year  1871,  having 
resigned.  Professor  R.  H.  Biffen,  M.A.,  Professor  of  Agricultural 
Botany  at  the  University  of  Cambridge,  has  been  appointed 
as  his  successor  from  the  beginning  of  1910. 
11.  In  recognition  of  the  valuable  services  rendered  by  Mr. 
Carruthers  to  the  Society  during  the  period  of  nearly  40  years 
he  has  been  associated  with  it,  the  Council  have  elected  him 
an  Honorary  Member,  and  have  resolved  to  grant  him  a pension 
of  lOOZ.  per  annum. 
12.  The  Society  was  particularly  unfortunate  this  year  in 
the  weather  during  the  Seventieth  Annual  Exhibition  held  at 
Gloucester,  rain  falling  more  or  less  heavily  on  every  one  of  the 
five  days  on  which  it  was  open  to  the  public.  It  was,  however, 
pronounced  on  all  sides  to  be  one  of  the  best  Shows  that  has 
ever  been  held,  and,  despite  the  rain,  it  was  successful  in  almost 
