348 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
January 29, 1898, 
who so kindly served as stewards, to those who sent 
flowers and fruit, and to other friends who in any way 
assisted in making the festival a complete success. 
During the past year nineteen pensioners have 
died, seven of them leaving widows, of whom five, 
whose cases on being carefully investigated and found 
to be in every way satisfactory, have been placed on 
the pension list at £16 a year, in succession to their 
late husbands, in accordance with Rule III., 13- 
The committee have now the pleasure to announce 
that they have decided to add nineteen additional 
pensioners to the number now on the funds, ten of 
whom, having been accepted under Rule III., 5, they 
recommend the subscribers to place on the pension 
list without the trouble and expense of an election ; 
the remaining nine will be elected by votes from the 
approved list of candidates in the usual way. This 
addition will make the total number of pensioners 
168, the largest number of beneficiaries receiving 
permanent aid since the foundation of the institution. 
And yet there will be thirty-five unsuccessful candi¬ 
dates who will perforce have to wait for that 
assistance which they so much need. Thecommitee 
heartily wish it were possible for them to render aid 
to a larger numbe r, but with financial responsibilities 
to those now on the funds, which are impossible to 
accurately calculate, they do not feel in a position to 
recommend a further increase in the annual expendi¬ 
ture than that entailed by the addition of the number 
already stated. 
In the past year there have been in aid of the 
charity held an amateur operatic performance at St. 
George's Hall, kindly organised by Mr. H. Morgan 
Veitch ; a flower and fruit stall at Richmond Horti¬ 
cultural Exhibition, kindly arranged by Mrs. 
Algernon Chancellor; garden fetes at Reigate and 
other places, concerts at Altrincham, and various 
other functions in different parts of the country, to 
the promoters of which, one and all, the committee 
tender their very hearty and sincere thanks. 
It will be remembered that the committee in their 
last report announced their intention to send to each 
unsuccessful candidate at the 1897 election the sura 
of £5 on June 21st, in honour of the Diamond 
Jubilee. This they are happy to say was done, and 
the giateful letters of acknowledgement received from 
the recipients showed how greatly appreciated were 
the welcome and, in many cases, timely gifts. The 
committee likewise announced that they had in¬ 
augurated a fund to commemorate the long and 
beneficent reign of our beloved Queen — the 
patroness of the charity. This fund, by her 
Majesty’s gracious permission, they proposed to call 
the “ Victorian Era Fund," They are now gratified 
beyond measure to state that the appeal issued in its 
behalf was most generously responded to, the sum of 
£4,075 being received, which amount has been 
invested in the names of the trustees in Great 
Western Railway 3 percent guaranteed consolidated 
stock, and the interest derived therefrom will be 
annually divided pro rata amongst those unsuccess¬ 
ful candidates who formerly were subscribers to the 
institution, in order to render them some temporary 
assistance whilst awaiting election, but no candidate 
may receive more than £10 in any one year. 
The committee would like to mention the names 
of all those who have so liberally and kindly contri¬ 
buted to this spec ; al object; but whilst gratefully 
thanking all who did so, they hope it may not seem 
invidious if they particularise a few generous and 
munificent donations which greatly helped to secure 
the substantial amount raised : — His Grace the Duke 
of Westminster, president; Lord Rothschild and 
Messrs. N. M. Rothschild & Sons; the Baron 
Schroder, vice-president; Harry J. Veitch, Esq., 
treasurer; N. N. Sherwood, Esq., trustee; C. 
Czarnikow, Esq., vice-president; Arthur W. Sutton, 
Esq., member of committee; George Munro, Esq., 
member of committee. 
The committee are happy to acknowledge the 
following legacies which they have received:— 
£457 5s. ltd. from the late Mr. J. W. Thomson, 
formerly gardener to his Majesty King George III., 
for the purpose of applying the interest for the 
special benefit of a widow or widows, and £100 from 
the late Colonel Thos. Page, formerly a life member 
of the institution. They also thankfully acknow¬ 
ledge the receipt, just before the close of the year, 
of special donations to the general funds of £50 from 
the Royal Scottish Horticultural Society, and 
£26 5s. from the Royal Caledonian Horticultural 
Society. 
In common with other charities, the committee 
have to deplore the removal by death of several 
friends and supporters, amongst whom may be 
mentioned the late Dr. Hogg, a vice-president and 
trustee, who for many years took a warm and 
practical interest in the institution, and the late Mr. 
Richard Chrimes, who for upwards of thirty years 
had been a liberal subscriber to its funds ; the late 
Lord Hindlip and Mr. J. Travers Smith, both of 
whom had been annual subscribers for many jears. 
They have also to record that in consequence of 
advancing age Mr. John Lee has felt compelled to 
relinquish his position as a trustee of the institution. 
From its commencement Mr. John Lee has been one 
of its warmest friends, and whilst accepting his 
resignation with the deepest regret, they know that 
as long as he may be spared he will continue to 4 ake 
a special interest in its welfare. It is a source of 
much gratification for the committee to notify that 
the Hon. Walter Rothschild and Bruno Schroder, 
Esq., have consented to fill the vacant trusteeships, 
and they desire to express their sincere thanks to 
those gentlemen for so kindly'giving their services in 
this way to the institution. 
In concluding their report the committee have to 
make the welcome announcement that the fifty-ninth 
anniversary festival dinner in aid of the funds will 
be celebrated on Wednesday, June 8th next, at the 
Hottl Metropole, when his Grace the Duke of Port¬ 
land (vice-president) has kindly undertaken to pre¬ 
side, and from a long experience they are encouraged 
to hope that all those friends who have the well-being 
of the charity at heart will again do in this sixtieth 
year of its history all in their power to insure the 
success of the anniversary. And whilst rejoicing in 
the solid prosperity of the charity, they still earnestly 
invite the kind co-operation of its present supporters 
in procuring new subscribers, so that its work may 
be not only fully maintained, but enlarged, and the 
ever-increasing number of applicants helped and 
benefited. 
The chairman moved '* that the report of the com¬ 
mittee together with the statement of accounts (as 
audited), be received and adopted, and that the best 
thanks of the meeting be presented to the committee 
for their able management of affairs of the institution 
during the past year." Mr. Veitch commented upon 
the fact that the past year had been a very 
prosperous one for the society. They were much 
grieved to lose their two former trustees, but were 
fortunate in securing the services of the two gentle¬ 
men just appointed. The legacy of Mr, J, W. 
Thomson, formerly gardener to George III, was left 
for the benefit of a widow or widows, and invested in 
the special fund. After the poll it was proposed 
that the unsuccessful widow who stood next highest 
on the list should receive the benefit of the legacy. 
She would then be known in future as the 
*■ Thomson ” pensioner. The interest of the legacy 
was not quite enough to keep a widow on the funds, 
but the committee would furnish thebalace. Looking 
at the large amount they had invested, nearly 
£30,000, some might be inclined to think that it was 
too much, but he would remind them that in order 
to keep faith wi.h the pensioners already on the 
books they needed £3,000 per annum, and thus if the 
income of the society ceased there was only enough 
to meet these annual disbursements for about ten 
years. The Victorian Era Fund had been a great 
success. They had asked for £5,000 and had got 
over £4,000, which he thought was pretty good in a 
year when appeals had been made to charity for fur¬ 
nishing anything from a pump-handle to a chime of 
bells. 
Mr. Gardner seconded, and the report and 
balance-sheet were duly passed. 
On the motion of Mr. A Outram, seconded by Mr. 
E. G. Munro, Mr. H. J. Veitch was re-elected 
treasurer, and cordially thanked for his past 
services. 
Mr. Wythes proposed that Mr. G. J. Ingram be 
re-elected secretary. He considered that they were 
fortunate in securing the services of Mr. Ingram, who 
got through a vast amount of work. Mr. Osborn 
seconded, and the meeting gave a general and hearty 
assent. 
Mr. V. Morgan proposed, and Mr. Manning 
seconded that Messrs. W. Denning, James Douglas, 
N. Sherwood, and Jas. H. Veitch be re-elected 
members of the committee, and Messrs. E. Ranger 
Johnson and M. Gleeson be chosen members of the 
same body in place of Messrs. R. Milligan Hogg, and 
Thos. Glen, who retire. 
It was moved by Mr. J. Hudson that Messrs. T. 
Manning, T. Swift, and J. Willard be elected 
auditors for the ensuing year. 
Mr. W. Denning proposed, and Mr. Melady 
seconded that Messrs. W. Beste, W. Crane, H. 
Higgins, W. Johnson, and R. Jack be reappointed 
arbitrators for the ensuing year. All these proposals 
were passed unanimously. 
The following ten candidates were placed upon the 
list without going to the poll, on the motion of the 
chairman ;—John Battersby, John Berry, Daniel 
Mu. Arthur W. Sutton. 
