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

ROYAL IiORTICULTURAL 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. I.
Dix, Judge Des Banes, Rev. W. Griffiths, Thos.
Walcot, Esq., Capt. Jefferson, H. R. Sandbach,
Esq,, Dr. Hogg, T. B. Saunders, Esq., Mr. Alder-
man Copeland, MX., 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
have been graciously pleased to have accepted the
office of President of the Society, but 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
I3uceleuch 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 le
position of the other Fellows who paid their sub.
scriptions in advance. It would rn.ake 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 he 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 ali-
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 also, he believed, be a
great success ; nor would it 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, Wurtemberg, Russia, and of other
Continental countries, had expressed, through their
commissioners, their great desire to give thoir as-
sistance to promote the November exhibition, so
that there could be no doubt of the value and im-
portance of the exhibition, and consequently of its
success. The five guinva tickets, admitting the

(From the Registrar-yenerars Weekly Return.)
The mortality of London in the week that ended
last Saturday exhibited a decrease on that of some
previous weeks, in two of which since the beginning
157128 g -
;6h
a 1 ,
ni hailt
is hence
el prevailed,o is
wt
appears t l
differs ie
tbh ua deathstt
the
presentd
slightly have
from
return,
then of this year the deaths rose above 1,560. Last week
the number was 1,384. But if the average rate of
mortality in the corresponding weeks of ten years,
1:30
estimated amount.
Typhus, to which 63 deaths were referred, does
w
not appear to have made further progress since the
oul bce
week that ended January 25. It was fatal in 3
cases in the sub-district of St. Paul, Deptford, and
in 3 in Greenwich East; and it was returned in 4
cases in the Poplar district. Scarlatina prevailed
more than any other of the epidemic diseases ; it
carried on 82 children, and diphtheria 22. There
were 4 deaths from scarlatina in the north-west
sub-district of Chelsea; 3 in -the Hackney sub-dis-
trict, and 3in St. Paul, Deptford; but Norwood -
seems to be at the present time the chief seat of thb
complaint.
There were 178 deaths last week from bronchitis,'.
whilst the corrected average is 185. It is remark-
able
that. there were only 49 from pneumonia, the
average being 101.
diad at 224, Bethnal-
A woman, aged 28 years,
green-road, from typhus, which was, in the opinion
"
of Mr. Rolph, the medial attendant, aggravated
by living in an apartment of a small six-roomed
house, in which 22 beings are lodged."
Five children, all girls, died of scarlatina, in
Norwood ; one at 9, Change-alley ; two in Oak-
terrace ; one in Eden-road ; and one at 7, Albert-
terrace. Besides these, a woman died in .St.
George's-terrace, Hamilton-road, Norwood, of low- --
fever. The six deaths constitute the whole mor-
tality for the week in the sub-district.
A stable-boy, aged 19 years, died in Guy's Hos-
pital, from glanders.
Nine nonagenarians died in the week, the oldest
of whom was a woman, aged 95 years. Two men
were severally 94 years.
Last week the births of 1,095 boys and 1,102
girls, in all 2,197 children, were registered in Lon-
, don. In the 10 corresponding weeks' of the yolears
1852-61 the average number (corrected) was 2,0.