71 



In conclusion your Committee he^ to state that in consequence 

 of the great satisfaction Mr. Niven has given in the discharge of hip 

 duties as Superintendent they propose to increase his salary to $80 

 per mensem from the 1st of January next. 



APPENDIX 6. 



From Manuscript, bkixg the Draft of a "' KEroRT to be Pre- 

 sented TO TUB Society at a Meeting of Feb. 24Tir, 1870." 



At the last general meeting held on the 2nd June, ISGS, the 

 late Hony. Secretary stated that the income of the Society for the 

 ensuing year might he considered fully e(]ual to $200 per month, 

 which would be sufficient for all current expenses ; but Mr. Wilsone 

 appears to have forgotten that a large balance was still due to the 

 builder of the Superintendent's house, which with other items 

 of expenditure already sanctioned ultimately amounted to $722.57, 

 and it soon became apparent that the revenue would fall far sliort of 

 the necessary expenditure. 



Under these circumstances your Committee found that the 

 Society was rapidly getting into debt, and that either some means 

 must be devised to increase the revenue or a portion of the Cardens 

 must be allowed to relapse into jungle. 



It was considered inadvisable to raise the rates of the annual 

 subscriptions, these being already as high as people are lilcely to 

 pay, and it was feared that subscriptions would decrease rather 

 than be augmented thereby. 



At the same time it was not deemed proper to resort to the 

 means of a Bazaar, as had been done formerly to raise extraordinary 

 sums for special purposes, as the Gardens might now be con- 

 sidered so far complete that a true estimate could be formed of the 

 annual ex]:»enditure, and this should be provided for in some way 

 permanently, as no committee could take upon themselves the 

 responsibility of providing funds annually by such precarious means 

 as Bazaars. 



It was therefore decided that as the public voluntarily sub- 

 scribed as much as they could afford, the Grovernmeut should be 

 requested to increase the then small grant from $50 to $100 per 

 month, and after some correspondence upon the subject the appli- 

 cation was favourably considered by the Legislative Counuil and 

 the extra grant conceded, with the ciondition that the Government 

 should nominate one official member of the committee, which was 

 readily acceded to and H. F. Plow, Esq., Clerk of Councils, has 

 been duly appointed accordingly. 



Your committee in a]>plying for the increased grant expressed 

 their intention of making the Gardens more generally useful; by 

 keeping a nursery of flowers, ])lants, shrubs, etc., and also raising 

 European vegetables for distribution to members, subscribers and 

 others, and they regret that circumstances have so far prevented 

 them from more than partially carrying out their view's, but they 

 expect in the course of the current year to be able to effect all 

 these objects successful!}'. 



