The Sun.
London, England, 1862-02-12 00:00:00

ROYAL RORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

The annual meeting of the members of this society
was held in the council room of the society's
establishment at South Kensington. Amongst
the Fellows present we noticed W. Wilson Saun-
ders, Esq.,
Treasurer of the Society, Henry T.
Home, Esq., John Clutton, Esq., S. H. Godson,
Esq., C. Edmonds, Esq., B. Wrench, Esq., R. J.
Dix, Judge Des Barres, Rev. W. Griffiths, Thos.
Walcot, Esq., Capt. Jefferson, H. R. Sandbach,
Esq., Dr. Hogg, T. B. Saunders, Esq., Mr. Alder-
man Copeland, M.P., and Mr. Alderman Wilson.
The chair was taken at one o'clock by Sir C. W.
Dilke, Bart.
Dr. LINDLEY, the secretary, read the report of
the council.
The CHAIRMAN, in proposing the adoption of the
report, referred in a feeling manner to the lamented
death of the Prince Consort, the President of the
Society, who had always manifested the greatest
anxiety to promote its welfare. To the melancholy
event to which he had alluded was to be attributed
the circumstance of his presiding over the meeting
on that occasion. The report which had just been
read to them went so fully into every matter in
which the Fellows were interested that it hardly
became necessary that he should make any observa-
tions on the matter contained in that report. It
might be necessary, however, to point attention to
the circumstance of a new charter having been
granted to the society, which had obviated certain
difficulties which had heretofore existed in the con-
stitution of the society; and to the interesting fact,
as set forth in the report, that her Majesty would
hive been graciously pleased to have accepted the
office of President of the Society, bat that her
legal
advisers considered it would be incompatible with
her station as Sovereign to do so, as cases might
occur, associated with the affairs of the society, in
which it was possible the society should have to
appear in the courts of law, and it was felt that
would be most inconvenient to have her Majesty's
name bandied about in connexion with such mat-
ters and under such circumstances. (Hear.) He
had the honour of a few minutes' interview with
her Majesty recently, when she was pleased to ex-
press the great interest which she took in the
society's affairs, and her great anxiety for its
welfare ; and, in the course of the brief con-
versation which took place on the occasion, her
Majesty was pleased to recommend the Duke of
Buccleuch as the person whom, under present cir-
cumstances, it would be most agreeable to her feel-
ings to see holding the office of President of the
Society. (Hear, hear.) The chairman next re-
ferred to the 250 Fellows who paid their subscrip-
tions retrospectively, and he called on these gentle-
men to:voluntarily agree to place themselves in the
position of the other Fellows who paid their sub•
scriptions in advance. It would make no difference
in the amount to be ultimately paid by these gen-
tlemen, because on death or resignation their past
year's subscription would have to be paid, which
was not-the case with those who paid in advance.
In the arrangement made for the present year, the
society intended to hold not only great exhibitions
but several minor ones, from all of which they an-
ticipated considerable advantages, as he had no
doubt but they would attract large attendances on
the part of the public. The international exhibi-
tion of roots, which it was proposed should take
place in November, would
i also, he believed, be a
great success ; nor would t clash, as was feared by
some, with the great agricultural show Which would
take place in Battersea-fields in June. The Govern..
ments of Austria, N:Vurtemberg, Russia, and of other
Continental countries, had expressed, through their
commissioners, their great desire to give their as-
sistance to prom* the November exhibition, so
that there could be no doubt of - the value and im-
porta rice of-
the exhibition, and consequently of its
success. The five guinea tickets, admitting the