Lieut.-Gen. William Thornton.
Henry Woodthorpe, Esq. F.S.A.
The Council report that the Treasurer, having found that other engagements prevented his any longer devoting to the accounts and financial correspondence of the Society the time and attention which, after an experience of three years, he found to be absolutely necessary to be given to them, submitted to the Council the propriety of their accepting his resignation, or of making some other arrangement with respect to the accounts. The Council, regarding the subject as one vitally affecting the welfare of the Society, proceeded immediately to take it into their consideration, and are happy to be able to report that they have effected an arrangement by which the accounts are now kept, and the financial correspondence is attended to, by the Secretary, the Treasurer still continuing responsible to the Society. This arrangement will put the Society to a small annual expense, which can very well be afforded, and which the Council are persuaded the Members will think well bestowed, if it has the effect of preserving accuracy in the accounts. The recent arrangements in the Post Office render it easy for country Members to transmit their subscriptions by Post Office orders, which course the Council recommend to be adopted, making the Post Office orders payable to the Treasurer.
After the lapse of four years of continuing prosperity the Council hope that the Camden Society may be regarded as having taken a permanent station amongst established publishing associations. Many societies have been founded upon similar principles, and one considerably out-numbers this Society in Members: but there is no one which can produce better evidences of stability and prosperity, or which has greater reason to be satisfied with the estimation in which its works are regarded by the public. Amongst the Candidates for admission recently entered there are many Public Libraries and other bodies, whose desire to participate in the advantages of Membership indicates the reputation of the Society, both in this and other countries; and the prices maintained by our books when copies get abroad into the market, afford encouraging proof of the demand for them on the part of collectors and literary men. In four years the Society has issued eighteen volumes, all of them works excluded from the ordinary mode of publication, and yet worthy of being published, of eminent use to historical inquirers, and likely to retain a place in the permanent literature of the country.
The forthcoming works are fully calculated to maintain, if not to increase, the reputation of the Society, and the Council see no reason to doubt but that the Society may long usefully and prosperously retain its station, and the number of its Members.
[REPORT OF THE AUDITORS,]
Dated 30th April, 1842.
We, the Auditors appointed to audit the Accounts of the Camden Society, report to the Society, that the Treasurer has exhibited to us his accounts, from the 27th day of April, 1841, to the 30th day of April, 1842, and that we have examined the same, together with the vouchers relating thereto, and find the same to be correct and satisfactory.
And we further report that the following is a correct Abstract of the Receipts and Expenditure of the Society during the period to which we have referred.