FIRST RETORT OF COMMISSIONERS.

li

XXXII. It will be seen, by reference to it, that the total net receipts of tlic Com-missioners (exclusive of the advances made by Messrs. Munday on account of the PrizeFund, and by the Bank of England on the security of the Guarantee Bond), amountedat that time to £500,100 Os. lie?.; and the expenditure to £292,794 11s. 3 d„leaving a balance in hand of £213,305 15s. 8d* Nearly the whole of this sum wasinvested in Exchequer Bills, and the remainder stood to the credit of the Com-missioners at the Bank of England and Messrs. Coutts’s.

The Commissioners are not yet in a position to state with accuracy what portionof this balance still remains payable on account of expenses incurred up to the 29 thof February in connexion with the Exhibition (such as the cost of printing the Jurylvcports, which it is intended to present to each Exhibitor,—the balance held as areserve by the Commissioners under the terms of the contract for erecting theBuilding,— and other payments), and what portion may be considered as the actualand bona fide surplus, after every liability shall have been discharged, and the accountsfinally wound up; but they have no reason to suppose that the net surplus will beless than the sum estimated by them in their lleport to Her Majesty of the GtliNovember last, viz., £150,000.

Season Tickets.

The total number of season tickets sold was 25,605, of which 13,494 were gentle-men’s and 12,111 ladies’ tickets, the net amount paid into the Bank of England under this head being £67,514 Is. Of this sum £202 10s. was received from thesale of 135 gentlemen’s and £184 from the sale of 184 ladies’ tickets, at the reducedrates of 30s. and 20s. respectively.

Jieceipts at the Boors.

Appendix No. XXXIII. shows £356,808 Is. to have been the gross amount soreceived, from which a sum of £529 17s. 5(7. has to be deducted for loss on light gold,and defaced, spurious, and foreign coin (see Appendix No. XXXIV), leaving a netbalance paid into the Bank of England of £356,278 3s. Id. An examination of theamount received each day at the different prices, whether at the 5s. charge duringthe first three weeks or at the lower rates that subsequently prevailed, will affordsatisfactory evidence of the concurrence of the public in the principles upon whichthe charges were arranged.

The Exhibition having been open to the public on 140 days (exclusive of the1st of May, when no money was taken at the doors), it follows that the average dailyreceipts for entrance to the Building amounted to £2,548 for the whole period of the

* The Accounts for tlio month of March 1852 have been examined and approved by theCommission, but not having yet boon passed by tho Auditors are not included in the generalaccount. Tho receipts for that month were, £1,713 Os. 2d. (Interest on Exchequer Bills, &e.)and tho disbursements, £3,001 15s. 10d., the Surplus at tho close of tho month being tliorobyreduced to £211,417. .