59 



bear; whereupon thirty-one members came forward with donations 

 of twenty-five dollars e'aeh (Appendix 3), and tlien again in the next 

 year another fourteen members (Appendix 4). The furtlier to add 

 to the Society's funds a Fancy Fair was next organized in conjunc- 

 tion with a Flower Show, which took place on December 28th, 1SG4, 

 and then again another Fair was held in 1866. 



Although a hope had been expressed of dispensing with the 

 second gang of ten free labourers, the report for 1864 (A])pendix 

 4) shows that IT men were being employed under a mandor, and 

 that the Govemment had been able to increase the number of con- 

 victs to fifteen. It was under those circumstances that tlie second 

 fourteen subsidiary donations were given. 



The Bandstand Hill at the end of 1862 or in 1863 had become 

 so far transformed tliat it was decided to turn attention towards the 

 southern corner and to construct a new entrance " at the nearest 

 ])art to town " where the present Main Gate stands. The Society 

 someliow still i)ossessing a little bit of land, cut off from the Kerr 

 property in the making of the Cluny Eoad. and for that reason of 

 no real use to them, exchanged it for considerations with the Nassim 

 estate, one of which was that a corner of Nassim land should Ije 

 thrown into the Napder and Cluny roads at their junction in order 

 to im|)rove the approach to the new gate. This was done. 



The realignment of Garden Koad had meanwhile been under 

 the consideration of the Government, and as its construction pro- 

 mised to add a narrow strip to the Garden along its west edge, the 

 making of the Lake, as it now is, became possible. Tliis possibility 

 may have been foreseen for two or throe years, for the Main Gate 

 Koad wdiich runs along the Lake Ijank had assuredly been laid down 

 , when in 1864 the new gate was opened, and there are no signs of any 

 subsequent realign;ment to lit its course to the lake; but that the 

 Lake was not i>art of the plans made in 1860 must be the case, for 

 all the land was not in the Society's possession, and the Main 

 Gate Road whi(4i takes visitors to the Lake, as said on p. 57, was 

 not in the firs-t i)lans. The Gardens were in fact laid out in four 

 stages, each more or less indeiJendent ; first there was the Band 

 ])ro'inenade with an a]jproach from Gluny Road, and a means of 

 driving through to tlie Rogie gate or the Garden lioad ; next, hinged 

 on to tiie Bandstand to its south, was made tlie Herbarium Eing 

 Eoad and its connecting paths, very carefully and symmetneally 

 ]:»lanned ; then came the Main Gate, with its road; and lastly came 

 the Lake, depending for its existence upon the acciuisition from 

 Adaim Wilson in January, 18'66, by ({overmuent of a lit of the 

 Xapier proix-rty. The Government suj)plied convict labour for 

 work on the lake ; but this had to be supplemented by free labour 

 (A])pendix 5). 



Meanwhile Lawrence Niven found that the service demanded 

 from him by his growing charge was inadequately paid for, and 

 ask<Hl for more than he was receiving. The Committee considered it 

 his du(\ l)ut not feeling certain of having the means of granting it; 

 they applied in August, 1865, to the ({overnment for an allow- 

 ance of fifty dollars per mensem, being the amount that they found 



