THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, .Tult 12, 1859. 
201 
portnnee to be discussed by the Society at large. A letter, 
of which the subjoined is a copy, was accordingly despatched 
by him (Dr. Lindley) to the Royal Commissioners :— 
“ Horticultural Society, 21, Regent Street, S.W. 
, “Sir,—I am directed by the Council of this Society to ask 
you whether Her Majesty's Commissioners for the Exhibition 
of 1851 would be willing to receive a proposition for renting the 
middle of the block of land lying between the Kensington, 
Cromwell, Exhibition, and Prince Albert roads ? and if so, upon 
what terms ? Could such lahd be leased to the Society for a 
garden at a moderate rental for a long term of years, the 
Council would be prepared to bring the subject before a General 
Meeting, for the purpose of ascertaining the views of the 
Society; the Council considering that it would be to the interest 
of the Society to have their Show Garden at South Kensington, 
and their Experimental Garden in some other locality.—I am, 
sir, your very obedient servant, T T c , 
J mi/ n ■ -c John Lindley, Sec. 
“ Edgar Bowling, Esq., 
“ Secretary to the Royal Commissioners of 1851.” 
To that leLter the Commissioners replied through their 
Secretary to the following effect:— 
“ Whitehall, July Itli, 1809. 
“ Sir,—I am directed by Her Majesty's Commissioners to 
acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 2fith January last, 
inquiring on behalf of the Council of the Horticultural Society 
whether the Commissioners would he willing to receive a pro¬ 
posal from the Society for renting the central portion of the 
main square of the Commissioners’ estate at Kensington Gore, 
and if so, upon what terms. Her Majesty’s Commissioners 
direct me to acquaint you in reply, for the information of the 
Council of the Society, that they have delayed answering this 
communication up to the present time became of their anxiety 
to give the proposal in question all the consideration which its 
importance deserves, and to investigate how far its adoption 
could be made to contribute towards the development of tlie 
general objects for which they are incorporated. The result of 
their inquiries lias been to satisfy them that the proposal of the 
Society offers opportunities of realising a plan worthy of the 
metropolis and advantageous to the public; whereby, on the 
one hand, the special science of horticulture may be advanced, 
and on the other the general interests of science and art pro¬ 
moted. The Commissioners accordingly contemplate setting 
apart for this purpose the central portion of the main square of 
ilie estate, as desired by the Society, to the extent of about 
twenty acres, and enclosing that area by arcades of an archi*- 
tectural character. As respects the purposes to which the 
above-mentioned enclosed space and arcades should be respect¬ 
ively applied, so far as relates to the use. to be made of them by 
the Society, the Commissioners consider that the ground should 
be laid out as an ornamental garden, with the necessary accom¬ 
paniment of terraces, steps, fountains, &c., and with the addition 
of a conservatory or winter garden at the north end, the whole 
to be executed in conformity with plans approved by the Com¬ 
mission ; whilst tlie arcades would afford at all times a protection 
from the weather to the visitors of the gardens, and the upper 
portion of them afford a most favourable site for the flower 
shows of tlie Society. The arcades, whilst being complete in 
themselves and enclosing the gardens, would at once serve to 
unite into a harmonious whole any buildings that may be here¬ 
after erected between them and the main roads of the estate in 
furtherance of the general objects of the Commissioners, and to 
secure those gardens against any future interference or encroach¬ 
ment, as the Commissioners’ objects just referred to are gra¬ 
dually developed. Tlie cost of executing tlie. whole of these 
works, so far as it has yet been possible to estimate them, 
would be .£100,000, a moiety of that sum representing the 
cost of the arcades and of the earthworks, and the other moiety 
the. cost of erecting the conservatory and laying out the 
grounds as before, mentioned. In the event of the Horticultural 
Society being willing to incur tlie expense of the latter, or hor¬ 
ticultural portion of the works, and succeeding in raising the 
requisite amount within a period of six months from the 
present time, Her Majesty's Commissioners will, on their part, 
be disposed to execute at their own expense the former or I 
architectural part, together with the earthworks necessarily 
preparatory to the laying out of tlie gardens. The Com- 1 
missioners will also be prepared, in the event of the Society 
agreeing to the above proposed division of the contemplated 
works, to grant to the Society a lease of the twenty acre3 in 
question for a period of thirty-one years, subject to the pay¬ 
ment by the Society to the Commissioners, of an annual rental 1 
on the following basis:—The rent to be ascertained with re- 
1 ference to the receipts of the Society in each year—that is to 
say, There should be first deducted from tlie sum of the gross 
receipts (I) such a sum as shall be allowed by a Committee 
hereinafter mentioned in respect of expenses; and (2) the 
amount which may be payable by the Society for interest of any 
money not exceeding £50,000, borrowed by them for the works 
on the land. The rent shall be in the first place a sum equal 
to the interest payable on any principal money not exceeding 
£50,000, which may be borrowed by the Commission, and ex¬ 
pended on works on the land, or so much of this interest as tlie 
surplus receipts after the allowed deductions amount to. _ And 
if the. surplus exceed this interest, a further sum equal to a 
moiety of the residue'. Eor the purpose of regulating tlie 
amount to he deducted by the Society in each year for expenses, 
a committee of six persons shall be annually appointed, three 
by the Society, and three by the Commission, such committee 
to select the chairman from among the three nominees of the 
Commission, the chairman to vote on all occasions, and in case 
of equality of votes to have a casting vote in addition. Her 
| Majesty’s Commissioners, bearing in mind their responsibility 
towards the Crown and-their public duty, feel it incumbent 
upon them further to stipulate that a general veto with regard 
to the management of the ground leased to the Society shall 
be reserved to the Commission; at the same time it is to be 
understood that the terms above specified are subject to lie 
modified in such manner as shall be deemed necessary by tlie 
legal advisers of the Commission, to prevent the implication of 
a partnership between the Commission and the Society. In tlie 
event of the Horticultural Society being prepared t,o assent to 
the general principles above indicated, it will afford Her Majesty’s 
Commissioners much pleasure to confer with the Council of the 
Society for the purpose of settling the details of an agreement 
upon that general basis. 
“ I have the honour to be, your obedient servant, 
“ Dr. Lindley, F.R.S.” (Signed) “ E. A. Bowbing.” 
With reference to one or two points in that letter, it would be 
as well to direct attention to them, as they were very important. 
In the first place, with regard to that important matter, rent. 
Well, there was no rent to be charged. In the first place the 
Society would be permitted to pay its whole expenses out of its 
income, which expenses may include the interest on any money 
that might he borrowed by debenture or otherwise, before the 
question of rent came to be considered at all. So far so good. 
The Royal Commissioners bad stated, that if the surplus, after 
the payment of all the Society’s expenses, should be £2000, 
then that was to be the rental; they would take the £2000. If 
it be £500 only, they would take it, and if it be nothing at all 
they would have nothing for rent. If, on the other hand, the 
profits exceeded the £2000, then the Commissioners and the 
Society were to share what was left equally between them. The 
rental of £2000 was fixed by the Commissioners as the interest 
they would have to pay upon money to be borrowed at 4 per 
cent., to meet the Society in the share of the expenditure for 
constructing the gardens. They were to be £50,000, and 
the Society was to be £50,000. Another important point 
was, that there tvas to be no back rent: each year would 
clear itself. 'If the rent were £2000 a-year, and the Society 
could only pay £500 out of its profits, then that was to be 
the rent for that year, and it was not to go on accumulating 
to-the next, for they were never to be charged with arrears of 
rent. It was only on that ground that the Commissioners could 
justify sharing the profits beyond the £2000, when such profits 
arose, so that there was no risk whatever. In the proposed 
gardens it was intended to have ample promenades under 
arcades, where people could see the flowers and plants even in 
wet weather, and not be subjected to the risks they experienced 
at Chiswick by storms, which materially affected their receipts. 
The Commissioners claimed a veto in management, on the 
ground that if the gardens did not answer, it should not be in 
the power of the Society to turn them to any improper use other 
than what the Commissioners would sanction—such as Cremorne, 
for instance, although they were quite sure that no gentleman 
connected with the Horticultural Society would ever think of 
such a thing; but it, was to prevent tlie possibility of the 
question being started at any future period, however remote. 
The last paragraph of the letter, which he would read again, 
was very important. 
“ In the event of the Horticultural Society being prepared to 
assent, to the general principles above indicated, it will afford 
Her Majesty’s Commissioners much pleasure to confer with the 
