■Februaiy 1888. J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
123 
.■and the offers made by the Royal Commissioners, had practically 
failed, and it h.ad long been obvious that the ceasing of the connection 
with South Kensington was only a matter of time. The time had now 
arrived for a complete and definite severance. In thus going away they 
would leave a great deal behind them. He was sorry to say the Society 
bad spent on the grounds where they were now located 
£78,~)!>7 18s. 4d., or, in rounl figures, £80,000. On laving 
tie grounds they would not receive consideration even to the extent of 
«ne halfpenny ; and whether or not the Soeiety was acting wisely in 
bringing its connection with South Kensington and the Royal Commis¬ 
sioners to an end, there remained this fact that it left this enormous 
sum of money behind, an<l he was afraid he might also say it left some 
small portion of its eredit and renown behind with it. (Hear, h ar.) 
It was their business to look the state of affairs in the face, and see if 
they could not—by setting the Society on a new basis, and finding it a 
proper home—re-establish its eharacter and position. They had received 
very great assistance from horticulturists in all parts of the eountry, and 
he l>elieved that when the proposals that to-day would be laid before the 
Society became known that assistanee would be largely increased. As 
"to the eharter, they had consulted their solicitors, and they advised them 
that once possessed of a charter it was exceedingly difficult for a Society 
to get rid of it, and a costly and troublesome proceeding to get it 
amended, and consequently that if possible it was desirable to go on 
■with the present charter. No doubt a great deal of the charter was 
absolutely obsolete, and when they departed from South Kensington 
would refer to a state of affairs that had entirely ceased to exist. But 
he thought, in face of the advice they had received, they had better run 
«n with the present charter as long as possible. With regard to the bye- 
taws, a considerable portion of them were also obsolete. With ref rence 
to the Council, he should like to mention that they had placed their 
resignations in the hands of the Fellows, with the view of leaving the 
Society at perfect liberty to make whatever selection they thought 
pro; er of a new Council. It had been suggested in one quarter that as 
they had proceeded to re-nominate a certain number of their body, their 
resignations were scarcely sincere ; but a little reflection and study of 
the bye-laws would show that this was not so. There was not one of 
them who would not most willingly resign his place to make way for 
anylxKly else, if it could be shown to be of the slightest advantage to the 
Society. (Cheers.) Some comment had been made on the fact that 
they had on the Council two gentlemen connected with the national 
establishment at Kew. It was feared that the rest of the Council would 
not be able to hold their own against them. Now, if the Council could 
not hold its own ajainst two of its members—whether they came from 
Kew or anywhere else—they would be unfit for their position. But the 
fact was that they had acted in the most perfect harmony with them, 
and the fact of the Council having among them the head of the greatest 
botanical and horticultural institution in the world was of the greatest 
ailvantage. With regard to the outside Committee, the Council had 
met with the greatest possible assistance from them. Out of the seven 
gentlemen proposed by that Committee for election to the Council, the 
Council had adopted four. Two of the gentlemen whose resignations 
the Fellows had declined to accept would find it necessary, thej' said, to 
retire, and would make way for two others of the seven proposed by the 
outside Committee. The result would be that out of the fifteen new Council 
eight would be old members and seven would be new. The Council had 
received many assurances that the persons interested in horticulture had 
no intention of deserting the Society. (Cheers.) It had unfortunately 
been in difficulties in regard to financial matters, and it would be abso¬ 
lutely necessary for the Council to be provided with sufficient funds to 
carry on the work of the Society, as they could not incur liabilities if 
they saw no prospect of being able to deal with them. But when 
matters were placed on a new footing he believed the amount of support 
required, which was not very large, would be accorded. (Cheers.) 
Mr. Geo. Deal, Secretary, read the report of the special Committee 
appointed at a special general meeting held on December 13th. It 
described the suggestions made to the Council to fill the anticipated 
vacancies in the Council and the agreement arrived at, and recom¬ 
mended that the two extraordinary vacancies anticipated after the elec¬ 
tion of this day should be filled by the election of Messrs. T. B. Haywood 
a id J. Woodbridge. 
The princip.al points in the Report of tbe Special Committee of the 
Fellows of the Royal Horticultural Society, presented to the Annual 
Meeting, and read by Mr. G. Deal, were as follows :— 
After eareful consideration of the requirements of the Society, and 
after an inspection of numerous premises by means of a Sub-Committee, 
your Committee submits that the undermentioned premises seem to 
meet the present requirements of the case better than any other, and 
therefore strongly reeommend that they should lie forthwith secured. 
OJRecx .—The Committee is of opinion that the first floor of No. Ill, 
Victoria Street, is well suited for the London head-quarters and offices 
of the Soeiety, and for the housing of the Bindley Library in case the 
Trustees consent to its being placed there. [The Trustees of the Library 
are not absolutely bound by their deed to place the library on the 
Society’s premises, after its removal from South Kensington, though 
there is little doubt that they would do so.] 
The premises occupy a good position, almost midway between the 
Victoria Stations and St. James’s Park Station on the District (Under¬ 
ground) Railway, and within a few minutes’ walk of either. The 
ground floor of thi house is occupie 1 by the “Metropolitan Drinking 
Fountain Association,’’ and the upper flxirs are let out in sets of 
ehambers. The first floor consists of two rooms and the usual conve¬ 
niences. The smaller of the rooms is 16 feet 2 inches long by 8 feet 
6 inches wide, and could be used as a clerk’s room. The larger of the 
rooms is a spacious and convenient apartment, 42 feet 6 inches long by 
22 feet 0 inches wide. It has a coved ceiling and is very lofty, being 
18 feet high, so that it is well adapted for the purposes of Library, 
Reading, and Council Room, and for business purposes generally. 
A plan of the premises and a sketch of the larger room have been 
prepared, which will explain the extent of the accommodation much 
better than mere words can do. These premises are offereil at a rental 
of £120 per annum, free from rates and taxes. 
Arrangements for Shows and Meetings. —Your Committee having 
in view, at this particular time, only the metropolitan requirements of 
the Society, further submits that the Drill Hall of the London Scottish 
Rifle Volunteers is well suited for holding large exhibitions, smaller 
meetings, and for the assemblage of the several Committees. It is 
situated in James Street, Victoria Street, within two minutes’ walk 
of St. James’s Park Stations on the District (Underground) Railway, 
close to the Army and Navy Stores, and within two or three minutes’ 
walk of No. Ill, Victoria Street, the premises already recommended for 
the offices of the Society. The Hall is 135 feet long by 72 feet wide, is 
lofty, has a fairly good light, and is generally suitable for the purposes 
indicated. It has a back entrance which can be made use of for carry¬ 
ing in and removing exhibits, and a good carriage entrance adapted for 
the arrival and departure of visitors. There is a room available in the 
basement for the storage of the necessary tables and tressels. Your 
Committee has instituted inquiries and opened negotiations with the 
Committee of the London Scottish Rifle Volunteers, and now begs to 
recommend that the Society should confirm the offer made by the Com¬ 
mittee to pay a rental of £100 per annum, from March 25th next, in 
order to secure the use of the Hall for twenty meetings during the year ; 
the rent to include the cost of storage room in the basement for the 
Society’s tables and tressels, and, if possible, to secure the use, on show 
days, of the Luncheon Room and probably of the Committee Room for a 
few hours in the morning occasionally. Propositions to hold Exhibitions, 
&c., at Chiswick and in other localities in London and in the Provinces, 
will form the subjects of future deliberation. 
New Bye-Laws and General Policy .—The Commiteee has under 
consideration the construction of new bye-laws intended to facilitate the 
carrying out of as complete a horticultural policy as possible—one in 
which all aspects and departments shall be considered, to the undue 
preponderance of none, but to the general advantage of all. A more 
adequate representation of horticultural representatives and of diverse 
interests in the Council is aimed at as well as the creation of an enlarged 
constituency, especially in the provinces, by means of reduced rates of 
subscription, adequate privileges, and representrtion on the governing 
body being secured to the subscribers of whatever grade. 
It is hoped that by the institution of such a policy the Society may 
become the central horticultural Society of the empire, with branches 
and representatives in every district of the country, and with Com¬ 
mittees and sub Committees to meet the wants of specialists and those 
interested in particular departments. 
Secretary and Manager. —The Committee urge the paramount 
importance of appointing a well-qualified paid Secretary at as early a 
date as possible, the services of such an officer being, in its opinion, in¬ 
dispensable for the adequate discharge of the work involved in the 
reorganisation of the Society. 
Lastly, as these and other schemes for the future development of the 
Society must of necessity occupy some considerable time before they 
can be put into working order, your Committee suggests that it should 
this day be re-appointed with full powers, and that it should continue 
to co-operate for the current horticultural year in the same satisfactory 
sp’rit as heretofore with the Council in all matters relating to the wel¬ 
fare of the Society. 
Signed on behalf of the Committee, 
Maxwell T. Masters, Chairman. 
Geo. Deal, Secretary. 
February \Wi, 1888. 
Dr. Masters, the Chairman of the Committee who presented the 
above report, expressed satisfaction at the harmony and co-operation 
which had existed between it and the Council, and added that the new 
policy which was indicated was substantially the same as that initiated 
by Prof. Forster and Mr. Dyer, and already approved by the Fellows. 
One great fault of their Society had been that they had looked ujwn 
horticulture as the plaything of the rich, or as a mere money-grubbing 
machine for the few pecuniarily interesteil in it. But horticulture h.ad 
far higher aims than this. It had involved in it the interests of the 
country at large. The agriculture of the future would be to a large 
extent horticulture—(hear, hear)—and the Society had got to teach 
agriculturists how to make a living. (Hear, hear). It seemed also to 
him that the Society had not sufficiently considered the interests of the 
practical gardeners of the kingdom, many of whom, perhaps, could not 
afford to pay the subscription, and whom it might be well to admit at a 
lower subscription—(hear, hear)—and so endeavour to promote their 
education and welfare, and raise them in the social scale. It might 
be said this was a very fine scheme, but they did not expect to carry it 
out all at once. Gradual evolution and not sudden revolution would 
ultimately land them where they hoped to be. Personally he did not 
think they wouUl be able to get on long without a new charter, but 
muc’a might in the meantime be done by altering their bye-laws. 
