AngQBt 19, 1875. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AKD COTTAGE GARDENER, 



151 



themselves this £7000 of new debt, or so mnoh of it as shall not have been 

 repaid, out of what would have been their own rent. 



"The Society's lease cannot in any cane be forfeited before the eud of the 

 year 1878. It oaunot be then forfeited unless the income of the Society for 

 that year falls ah<irt of the amouut required by clause 2. Even if sacb ia- 

 come should for that year fall short of tbat amouut, there can be no forfeiture 

 if the Society shall pay its rent in accordance with the present agreements ; 

 or if the Society shall next year, out of monies which it could tender an rent, 

 reduce the new debt by £2100. 



" liy the second new agreement the Council hope to obtain part of the 

 French annexe, the tiarden attached thereto, and a new entrance close to the 

 Royal Albert Hall, in coubideration of certain concessions in respect of the 

 strip of laud lyin^' to the north-west of and outside the Kardens, which they 

 believe can be made withotit injury to the Society's property. 



*' The Council tru^t that these resolts will be deomed satisfactory, and they 

 feel tbat it is the merest justice to state that hut for the friendly feeling 

 towards the Society of Her Majesty's Commissioners and the untiring personal 

 exertions of General Scott to help them, they would have been unable to com- 

 plete these arrangements in the very limited time at their disposal." 

 August 10th, 1H75. 



The Aasiatant Secretary then read the " Heads of Proposed 

 new Agreement," which we published in our last number, and 

 then the following : — 



" Proposed Supplemental MoDiFicATioNa op the Agreements be- 

 tween THE Commissioners for the Exhibition of 1851 and the 

 Royal Horticultural Society. 



" 1. The Commissioners will permit the Society during its present term to 

 occupy and use that portion of the 'French Annexe' which on the plan 

 (A) hereto is coloured red. 



'■ 3. The Society will permit the Commissioners during such term to occupy 

 and use that portion of the same 'Annexe' which ou the said plan (a) is 

 coloured blue. 



" 3. The Commissioners may, when they please, put up a division or barrier 

 between the said portions coloured red and blue. 



"4. The Commissioners will permit the Society to occupy and use the gar- 

 den, coloured greea on the said plan (a), attached to the said 'Annexe,' the 

 Society beeping the same in proper order, and the Commissioners to give sis 

 months' notice from any day of their intention to resume possession of it 

 without compensation. 



'* 5. The Society will permit the Commissioners to make, maintain, and 

 control, subject to a right of way on the part of the Societv, the road shown 

 on plan (b) hereto and thereon coloured blue, and will also permit the Com- 

 missioners to remove the office marked (c) on the same plan of the Society's 

 Superintendent of Shows, and to occupy and use to the absolute exclusion 

 of tho Si'ciety the land shown on the said plan and thereon crossed with black 

 lines. The said road shall be so constructed as to ensure to the Society a 

 Bufficient and convenient access to the land lying between the north of the 

 Gardens and the said road, and so as not to interfere seriously with the enjoy- 

 ment of the house now occapied by Mr. Dick; or, if in making such a road it 

 should be found necessary or desirable so to interfere with the enjoyment of 

 the eaid house, the Commissioners shall build another house equally con- 

 venient and suitable for the purposes for which the said house is now used, 

 or shall make other sufficient compensation for the injury done thereto. 



" 6. The Commissioners will build and provide a convenient office and car- 

 penters' shop in the positions marked on the said plan (b) with the words 

 •office' and ' carpenterw' shop.' 



" 7. Subject to joint use with visitors to other parts of the Commissioners' 

 estate, the Commissioners will permit the Society to nse the orchard-house 

 entrances at the north-east and north-west of the Gardens subject to sis 

 months' notice. 



" 8. Should the Commissioners desire to resume possession of the upper 

 north-east and north-wesit Quadrant Arcades, they shall give six mouths' 

 notice to the Society, and make reasonable compensation for any actual loss 

 which may be sustained by the Society in the removal, or by the destruction 

 of plants and fixtures. 



" 9. The Commissioners will give the Society an entrance on the north side 

 of the Gardens close to the Koyal Albert Hall, subject to the rights of the 

 Hall. 



" 10. Tho Society will not raise any question as to the right of the Com- 

 missioners or their lessees to occupy and use any building's or structures 

 now occupied or used by them or their lessees, which are partly or whoUy 

 built or erected on or over tho Society's land." 



Mr. GuEDAiiLA asked, What was the amount of the debenture 

 debt? 



Mr. Hadqhton.— ^50,000. 



Mr. Shirley Hibberd. — The income is to be raised to ^£10,000 

 — have you any plans to show in what way you propose so to 

 raise the income ? Let us see the plans, because it is impossible 

 to understand the statements unless we see them [hear, hear.] 



The Chairman. — Mr. Haughton will show the plan. "VVe have 

 had no time at present to prepare elaborate plaus or an elaborate 

 scheme for the increase of our income. We have had but a 

 very few weeks to come to terms with our landlords, and that, 

 I think, is sufficient work to satisfy you at present [hear, hear] . 

 Before Christmas we will be in a position to lay before you an 

 elaborate scheme for the increase of our income. 



Mr. Haughton. — With respect to the plans, I may state the 

 agreements were only settled the day before yesterday, so that 

 it is impossible at this moment to have a number of plans ready. 

 To have the agreements settled was the point upon which we 

 really concentrated our energies. As to the question of time, I 

 may say the first meeting of the snb-committee to confer with 

 the Commissioners was held on the 13th of last month — this day 

 month — and as we had to give a week's notice of meeting, I 

 certainly think the Fellows have not much to complain of 

 [applause]. 



Mr, Shirley HrBBERC. — There is no objection whatever as to 

 the hurried way in which the Meeting has been called, but I do 

 not think we are to swallow down these agreements without 



knowing what they really mean, and how you propose to carry 

 them out [bear, hear]. 



Mr. Haughton.— We will give every information that is 

 required. 



Mr. LiGGiNs. — We have not had half an hour to look at somo 

 of these documents, and it is impossible in that time to give to 

 them a calm and fair consideration. We have not had the plans 

 at all to consider. We really have not, I may say, a quarter of 

 an hour to look into these documents, and that is, I think, a 

 reason why this Meeting should be adjourned [hear, and no]. 

 I really put it to the Meeting whether the membtrs of a Society 

 which has on its roll thousands of members ought to be bound 

 by the decisioo of a Meeting like this where hardly fifty Fellows 

 are present ? [hear, hear]. 



The Chairman. — I must say you are not in order. Mr. Hibberd 

 has possession of the chair. 



Mr. LiGGiNs.— I beg to say that Mr. Hibberd has waived his 

 right in favour of me. We all must know that this is really not 

 a Meeting of the Society, which numbers thousands of persona 

 who never heard — at least many never heard — of the proposi- 

 tions before us ; and is a Meeting, moreover, in which a great 

 number of us who compose it never knew anything of these 

 propositions until we entered this room [hear, hear]. This 

 Meeting does not consist of fifty persons, and I hope the repre- 

 sentatives of the press will notice that fact. Is it reasonable 

 that we should be called upon to confirm statements or agree- 

 ments — call them what you like — which, to our surprise to-day, 

 our so-called President has not had the opportunity of investi- 

 gating ? [cheers.] If these agreements were decided upon only 

 the day before yesterday Lord Aberdare must be as ignorant of 

 their effect as we ourselves are. I think, under all the circum- 

 stances, we ought to adjourn the Meeting for six weeks [hear, 

 hear, and no]. 



The Ch.virman. — I think if we adjourn the Meeting we shall 

 not have as many Fellows present as we have now. Now, one 

 word as regards time, which I look upon as an all-essential 

 element in this matter. We ail feel that unless we get into a 

 position to pay our way we must fall to pieces [cheers]. But we 

 wish to pay our debts, and to do that we must get money. It in 

 really of vital importance that we should come to terms with 

 our landlords in order to get that which we require [hear, hear] . 

 As to the short notice, you have got the very same notice as you 

 had with respect to the first agreement, and we thought we 

 should save you trouble by taking the matter when it was 

 thoroughly sifted, so that you might be more satisfied. We 

 have laid that first agreement before yon to-day to save another 

 meeting. 



Mr. Shirley Hibberd. — I rise, sir, to propose a resolution. 

 I always try to do things in the ordinary manner [laughter]. 

 My reason for submitting a resolution is that the case submitted 

 to us now is of so indefinite a character so far as it appears ad- 

 vantageous to the Society, and so exceedingly definite where it 

 appears disadvantageous to the Society, that we must really 

 have time to cousider it [hear, and cheers]. You may say we 

 are in debt and difiiculty ; well, that is too well known — it is too 

 notorious ; but there is an old saying which it would be well to 

 bear in mind, "Don't jnmp out of the fryiDg-pan into the fire" 

 [hear, and laughter]. Indeed, it seems to me if we accept these 

 agreements without givin^^ to them mature consideration we 

 shall complete the ruin of the Society, which anyone of us can 

 see is imminent. Let us not pull down this institution about 

 our ears because it appears somewhat weak. I should think, as 

 regards the immediate wants of the Council, that if an appeal 

 were made to the Fellows in a thoroughly canriid manner it 

 would end in the realisation of some i'-JUOO or i'oOOO. I am pre- 

 pared myself with a small subscription, and a gentleman who 

 sits here on a former occasion made a most liberal offer, and is, 

 I believe, prepared to carry it out. But I am not prepared, and 

 I believe he is not prepared, to throw money into some promis- 

 cuous box hung up after some appeal is made to the Fellows 

 [hear, hear]. You say this proposal laid before us is to redeem 

 us from the difficulties under wliich we suffer. Well, I ask the 

 Meetiog to look into these proposals and see what they come to. 

 Do the Commissioners take our debenture debt ? No. Do they 

 offer us any money payment ? No. Forsooth, they give us 

 permission to borrow i'7000. 

 Mr. Gcedalla. — If you can. 



Mr. Shirley Hibeerb — Oh, yes, and in three years — in fact, 

 I was going to say that the agreement only delays for three 

 years, the swallowingup of tho Society [hear, and cheers]. I 

 am sure no one would like to see this Society in a state of in- 

 solvency ; but, for my part, I should sooner see the Society in a 

 state of bankruptcy than see it dragged through the mire week 

 after week, as it is now being done, by asking us to sanction 

 agreements we have not had time to consider. Here, indeed, is 

 a case in which we are asked to partake of a cup of cold water not 

 knowing whether there is poison in it or not. Look to the con- 

 ditions of the agreements. The income of the Society is to be 

 increased. That is the first proposal, but there is a condition 

 hanging to it ; it is not on the cards, but it is on the parch- 



