vi PROCEEDINGS OE THE EOYAt. HOETICtTlTUEAL SOCIETY. 
beyond that we have the very best practical proof, in the shape of 
our very large receipts, of the increased prosperity of our shows 
and of their increased popularity, when we were able for the first 
time to invite Her Majesty to these gardens, and also the Prince 
and the Princess of Wales. I say for the “first time,” because I, 
as President of the Society, steadily refused to invite Her Majesty 
here until the unhappy dissensions in thelSociety had disappeared 
—until there was some sort of general concord amongst its mem¬ 
bers, and a reasonable hope that harmony was established (hear). 
We have had the advantage of the presence of the Queen, accom¬ 
panied by some of the Princesses, and afterwards of the presence 
of the Prince and Princess of Wales, as well of the Duke of Teck, 
the President of, not the rival, but the sister Society—the Bota¬ 
nical Society—accompanied by the Duchess. The result of all this 
is, that while in 1875 we received from our exhibitions only £222, 
and in 1876 only £223, we actually received in 1877 from our 
exhibitions £812 (cheers). The daily admissions rose last year 
to £484, while in the preceding year they only amounted to £245. 
Then as regards our garden produce, while we sold it to the 
amount of £340 in 1876, last year it realised £577. All these 
things show a very great advance on the part of the Society, an 
improved condition of things in most important points (hear, hear). 
There is one other little matter which I think I should bring under 
your notice before I sit down, and that is the disappearance from 
the accounts of the £1700 which was placed to the credit of our 
provincial shows. The provincial shows of the Society had been 
highly successful, and the existing Council of the day—as they had 
a perfect right to do—placed the balance of receipts or surplus 
arising from those shows to a separate account, which was to form 
a guarantee fund for provincial shows in the future, as they 
were found to be of great advantage to the Society. But, in other 
times, another Council which was appointed found themselves in 
embarrassments and difficulties, and they appropriated this sum of 
£1700, so specially set aside for a special purpose, to supply the 
general necessities of the Society. I have no doubt they had a 
legal right to do so. It may have been unfortunate that they did 
so, but I think they had as much right to get the money for the 
general wants of the Society, as the previous Council had to say 
the £1700 was to be specially devoted to provincial shows. The 
Council thought and felt they had an equal right to say, “ It was 
all very well to set it aside, but now we will apply it to the general 
