154 



JOUBNAL OP HOKTICDLTDBE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



[ AagQst 19, 1876. 



gardens. What had become of the magnificent tent which was 

 the property of the Society ? It was, he thought, of the utmost 

 importance the Society should not get into any further diffi- 

 culties, but smooth over those which at present existed. 



The Chairman said he believed no compensation was paid by 

 the Commissioners for the tent, but the Society used the canvas. 



Mr. S. H. Godson insisted that the accounts should be 

 thoroughly sifted, and he had no hesitation in saying if they 

 were, instead of having to borrow itTOOO, they would have in 

 hand at the present moment more than that amount [hear, 

 hear]. Plenty of dust had been thrown in their eyes from time 

 to time, and he was not surprised that gentlemen were afraid of 

 coming to that Society. He was satisfied, however, that if right 

 took place the Society would be as solvent as any merchant in 

 the city of London. He should suggest an adjournment for 

 three months. 



The CH.irEMAN observed that they owed ±'150 for prizes and 

 ±950 amount of interest on debenture debt due in August. 



Mr. Shirley Hibberd and Mr. Ligoins said they were in 

 favour of Mr. Godson's suggestion for a three months adjourn- 

 ment. 



Mr. BoHN asked, What had become of the Society's property ? 

 What about the arcades? 



Mr. Haughton said they were built by the Commissioners, 

 but the Society had a right of way, and the Commissioners 

 proposed to let the Society have possession of them as long as 

 the Commissioners did not themselves require them. They 

 were constructed by the Commissioners with the permission of 

 the Society, and the latter was allowed to retain the use of them 

 Bo long as the Commissioners did not require them. The upper 

 arcades belonged to the Society. He might say that their rights 

 with regard to passage through the lower arcades under the old 

 agreement were not in any way touched. As to the life com- 

 positions, the Council felt that life compositions were a con- 

 tinual temptation to improper dealings. These life composi- 

 tions which ought to amount to a considerable sum were now 

 non-existent. The Council wished to protect the Society from 

 the confusion created by the life compositions. The clause on 

 this point was one the Commissioners would not insist upon, 

 but it was the uuanimous wish of the Council that it should be 

 agreed to. He was sorry to say the finances of the Society were 

 in a deplorable condition. They were obliged to wash their 

 dirty linen in public, but the Council felt they ought not to ask 

 the indulgence of the Fellows because they had done nothing 

 to bring about these difficulties — they came to them as an in- 

 heritance, and he might say the Council had worked hard 

 during the last month to get the Society out of its difficulties. 



Mr. LiGGiNs asked whether it was not by the Council on 

 which General Scott and Sir Henry Cole were sitting the life- 

 composition money was first misappropriated ? 



Mr. Haughton said the question was rather irrelevant, but he 

 should be happy to answer it if he could. The Society at the 



E resent moment was in great financial embarrassment. They 

 ad not paid their debenture interest, and the money in hand 

 was insufficient for the purpose. The Council felt they ought 

 not allow the time to pass over without setting their house in 

 order. The agreements give them three years — take the matter 

 as they liked — to do that, and by that time they would not put 

 anyone in a worse position than before, except, indeed, the Com- 

 missioners. 

 Mr. Godson. — And the debenture holders. 

 Mr. Haughton. — No, but I will come to that. The arrange- 

 ment will stave off the forfeiture which was staring them in the 

 face — a forfeiture which would involve the actual confiscation 

 of the interest of the debenture holders. It would enable them 

 to pay every farthing they owed except the debenture debt, and, 

 at the end of three years, if the Commissioners put an end to 

 the agreement, they must take the Society's debt on their own 

 shoulders. He had the fullest confidence in the friendly in- 

 tentions of the Commissioners towards the Society. The Com- 

 roissioners had shown it in their negotiations with the Council 

 [hear, hear] ; and certainly without the great personal exertions 

 of General Scott in the interests of the Society the Council 

 could not that day have presented the agreements to the Meeting 

 [cheers]. The consideration of time alone seemed conclusive 

 against the motion for adjournment. He would remind the 

 Fellows that as time had been going on the Society had been 

 getting worse terms. As to tke bank holidays, he might remark 

 at present on certain days the public were admitted to the gar- 

 dens at a charge of 2d. The Commissioners gave the Society 

 their credit, took the responsibility of the new debt, waived the 

 forfeiture, and made the Society a present of the ±24(J0 due next 

 year. In return for that what did the Commissioners ask ? 

 That the Society should admit the public on bank holidays, 

 as they were now admitted, at a charge of 2d., or " at such 

 charge as. shall be approved by the Commissioners." The 

 Commissioners believed a charge ought to be fixed so as to 

 prevent injury to the gardens. 'Then with respect to the agree- 

 ment as to the access ; it should be borne in mind that by the 

 existing agreement the CommiBsioners had a right to stop-ap 



that way from Kensington Gore, and to give the Society another 

 mode of access, and to stop it up and give a fresh one from time 

 to time as they pleased. That being so, the Society would be 

 better off under the new than under the existing agreement. 

 As regarded the tenth clause, the Commissioners would not have 

 a right to go anywhere where they were not at present. They 

 had got the places referred to at present, and had a moral right 

 to enter them. They had been asked why they did not pay the 

 Commissioners. Well, after what had passed in that room on 

 recent occasions it appeared to him that question must not 

 have been seriously put, but put to place the Council in a state 

 of embarrassment [hear, hear^. Every Fellow knew there was 

 not the slightest hope of paying the Commissioners the ±2400 

 next year, and that if it was not paid there would be forfeiture, 

 which meant the destruction of the Society. He might remind 

 the Fellows that before the Society came to the South Kensing- 

 ton Gardens its income from subscriptions never reached i;3000. 

 Mr. BoHN. — That was at Chiswick ? 

 Mr. Haughton. — Yes. 

 Mr. BoHN. — We did not want it. 



Mr. Haughton. — The South Kensington Gardens bring ns in 

 a larger income than they take out of our pockets. 



Mr. LiGGiNS. — That must be a mistake; if it were so we 

 should not be in difficulties. 



Mr. Haughton went on to say a fine room had been provided 

 for the Council and members. 



Mr. Pinches then moved, " That the Report and Agreements 

 laid before the Meeting be approved and sanctioned." 

 Mr. Bateman seconded the motion. 



The Chairman then put the motion for adjournment as an 

 amendment to that for the adoption of the Beport and approva 

 of the Agreements. 

 The amendment was lost, nine hands having been raised for it. 

 Mr. Godson said he should like to move another amendment 

 to the effect that the Council be requested to issue a circular to 

 all the Fellows asking for contributions towards next year's rent. 

 He was prepared to give £25, and a friend of his would give at 

 least ±25. 



The Chairman. — Do I understand you to mean that we should 

 send a begging letter to each Fellow ? 

 Mr. Godson said he meant a circular asking for contributions. 

 Admiral Hornby thought their position was very disgraceful, 

 as they were liable to be put into the County Court for a few 

 pounds ; but would they be putting themselves in a better posi- 

 tion by sending round what the Chairman characterised as a 

 " begging letter?" 



Mr. LiGoiNs thought it would be well if a circular was sent to 

 the Fellows with respect to their subscriptions, which he 

 believed fell due in January. Last January 1200 subscriptions 

 were not paid. He should hope that in the coming year that 

 the disunions which had become necessary would be matters 

 of the past [hear, hear]. They must put their shoulders to the 

 wheel to bring the Society round and get the amount of money 

 they required. 



The motion for the adoption of the Report and agreements 

 was then put and carried with two dissentients. 



Admiral Hornbt said that in the early part of the proceed- 

 ings allusion had been made to the fact that one of the lately- 

 joined members of Council said he had a scheme for raising the 

 subscriptions. Now, he might say he thought some of the 

 Fellows appeared to be a little hard upon the new CouncU. The 

 members did not come upon it for their own pleasure, but with 

 the honest wish to keep these gardens for the Royal Horticul- 

 tural Society. He could say the Council had worked hard to 

 bring about the arrangements with the Commissioners, and he 

 meant so long as he had a seat at the Council-board to do his 

 best for the Society. He had looked into the question of how 

 the position of the Society could be raised, and he felt sure if a 

 proper appeal was made, especially to the people of the neigh- 

 bourhood, and proper regulations were made, a large sum of 

 money would be got together. He looked upon the transfer- 

 ticket system as very objectionable. He was a holder of a four- 

 guinea ticket, which is generally in the drawer of his hall table, 

 and no less than five families called and made use of it [laughter] . 

 He had taken ihe trouble of looking into the Court Quide, and 

 found that in Prince's Gate and Prince's Gardens about a hundred 

 houses did not subscribe to the Society, and yet the children 

 and the nurserymaids from these very houses used the gardens 

 [hear, hear]. His idea was to raise the money by not pressing 

 too hardly on people. They had to consider the rights of those 

 Fellows who had bought life compositions. They must deal 

 fairly with those gentlemen. His own impression was it would 

 be a far fairer and better way that a Fellow should pay two 

 guineas a-year to admit him to the gardens, the shows, aad 

 everything else, but that he should not bring other people with 

 his ticket. If he had a small family, say only bis wife and him- 

 self, let his wife become a Fellow like himself. But if a man 

 had, say, three daughters, let that gentleman pay four or five 

 guineas a-year for a "house ticket" [hear, hear]. If he was 

 told that was too high, be answered that people who lived in 



