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REPORT  OF  THE  COUNCIL  TO/THEjj 
ANNUAL  GENERAL  MEETING  OF  GOVERNORS 
AND  MEMBERS  OF  THE  SOCIETY, 
Held  at  the  Royal  Agricultural  Hall,  Islington, 
On  WEDNESDA  Y,  December  7,  1910,  at  3 p.m. 
Mr.  F.  S.  W.  Cornwallis  (Trustee)  in  the  Chair. 
1.  Since  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Governors  and  Members 
held  in  December  last,  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society  of 
England,  in  common  with  the  whole  of  the  British  Empire,  has 
sustained  a great  loss  in  the  death  of  their  beloved  Sovereign, 
King  Edward  VII.  On  the  12th  May,  a few  days  after  the  sad 
event  became  known,  a meeting  of  the  Council  was  specially 
convened  for  the  purpose  of  passing  loyal  and  dutiful  Addresses 
of  Condolence  with  His  Majesty  King  George  V.,  and  with  Her 
Majesty  Queen  Alexandra.  Gracious  acknowledgments  of  these 
Addresses  were  subsequently  received  by  the  Society  through 
the  Secretary  of  State  for  the  Home  Department. 
2.  His  Majesty  King  George  has  ever  been  a true  friend  to 
the  Royal  Agricultural  Society,  and  has  already  filled  the 
Presidential  Chair  on  two  occasions — in  1897  and  in  1903.  Since 
his  accession  to  the  Throne,  His  Majesty  has  conferred  upon  the 
Society  further  marks  of  his  Royal  favour  by  becoming  Patron 
of  the  Society,  and  by  graciously  accepting  the  office  of  President 
for  the  year  1911. 
3.  Turning  to  the  ordinary  business  of  the  Society,  the  Council 
have  to  report  that  the  list  of  Governors  and  Members  has 
undergone  the  following  changes  during  the  year  which  has 
elapsed  since  the  Annual  General  Meeting  on  December  8th, 
1909 ; 4 new  Governors  and  580  new  Members  have  joined  the 
Society,  and  5 Members  have  been  re-instated  under  By-law 
14 ; whilst  the  deaths  of  5 Life  Governors,  6 Governors,  84  Life 
Members,  and  157  Annual  Members  have  been  reported.  A 
total  of  33  Members  have  been  struck  off  the  books  under  By-law 
12,  owing  to  absence  of  addresses,  2 Governors  and  93  Members 
under  By-law  13,  for  arrears  of  subscription;  and  3 Governors 
and  192  Annual  Members  have  resigned. 
4.  The  Society’s  losses  by  death,  since  the  report  was 
presented,  include  the  following,  who  had  all,  at  some  period, 
been  Members  of  the  Council:  Earl  Spencer,  K.G.,  who  was 
President  in  1898,  joined  the  Society  in  1860,  had  been  on  the 
