CVi PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Mr. Shirley Hibberd said: We appear to be in a very 
distressing way with regard to the debenture debt, and our 
position appears to be this—that we have no legal right to the 
ground on which we tread ; we may enjoy it for a time, but the 
Commissioners may turn us out at any moment, and he thought 
it would be better to be turned out at once than to endure the 
present uncertainty. Under any circumstances if we occupy 
these grounds we ought to pay a rent. Hitherto these gardens 
have been a security for the debenture debt, but now the security 
ceases, and responsibility is being incurred by somebody, possibly 
by the Council. On such an occasion as this he thought we 
ought to know something more clear on this point than is stated 
in the report. 
The President assured the meeting that the Council did not 
incur any responsibility in regard to that debt, the conditions of 
which were satisfactorily explained. 
Dr. Masters expressed his regret that the report was not 
circulated several days prior to the meeting ; he had only had 
time to glance hurriedly through it, but so far as he could see it 
was in many respects satisfactory ; yet he was disappointed at 
not finding any allusion to the financial result of the Preston 
Show, and he requested information on that point. 
The President briefly replied that the Society was not 
responsible for the finances referred to, and at the same time 
regretted that the weather and other circumstances militated so 
seriously against the success financially of that gathering. 
A Fellow then asked on whom the responsibility of the loss 
fell if not upon the Society ; to which his lordship replied, that 
although that was no doubt an interesting matter, he was not 
quite in a position to answer the question. 
A question was then asked respecting the closing of the north¬ 
west gate of the gardens, and it was explained that as a matter 
of economy the gate was kept closed in the winter when access 
was not wanted by it, and it would no doubt be opened again in 
the summer as usual. 
After Col. Makins had thanked the meeting for electing him 
on the Council, Mr. Harry Yeitch proposed a vote of thanks to 
the Chairman and the Council for then services, briefly alluding 
to the great increase of the Fellows of the Society and the 
distribution of plants, and the meeting terminated. 
