IKE COi'lAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, July 12. 18511. 207 
Council of the Society, for the purpose of settling the details of 
an agreement upon that general basis.’’ 
Having laid that letter before them, he could not do better 
than illustrate the proposed scheme bv a general kind of plan 
which they saw upon the wall, lie then directed the notice of 
the Meeting to an outline-plan, the particulars of which could not 
be understood without an illustration. He then went on to say— 
ft is intended that statuary, at some time or other, should be 
placed in suitable parts of the gardens; but that was not a 
necessary part of the plan, nor was it anything with which they 
had to do, as it was not to be at the expense of tlie Horticul¬ 
tural Society, nor was it to be put so as to crowd, or in any way 
interfere with, the general arrangements of the plants, but as 
an additional attraction, as there was no such place at present 
in London; and that would be an addition by the Royal Com¬ 
missioners, The tooth was hung round with photographs 
titld drawings of beautiful designs both for entrances, ar¬ 
cades, and terraces, and, no doubt, the Commissioners would 
choose from among them that design which might ho con¬ 
sidered the best. The arcades would he sixteen feet high 
in the clear, and access to them would be had by covered ways 
from more than one direction, so that carts arriving with ne¬ 
cessary plants and materials will he able to do so and leave 
without in any way disfiguring the gardens. Another part of 
the Commissioners’letter stated that theie would be a winter 
garden us well. It was proposed that it should be a great con¬ 
servatory, covering something less than an acre of ground. It 
was not proposed to make it a hothouse for plants that required 
another climate, but to confine it entirely to such as grew in a 
greenhouse, and only required shelter from the weather. There 
were to he three levels, or terraces, and the visitor ou entering 
the gardens would pass from one level to another, each, of 
course, having a different character of plants growing on it. 
There would be an advantage in the upper level—that the roofs 
of the arcades of the lower one would constitute an approach 
so as to enable persons to walk straight on to it. This would be 
easily effected, as tlie whole of that land between Kensington 
and Brompton slopes very rapidly to the southward. 
Dr. Lindley again referred to the drawing ou the wall, and 
continued—With respect to ornamental water, he could comfort 
them so far as to say that there would be a grand display, but no¬ 
thing in the shape of “ waterworks,” as that could he seen on a 
greater scale than they could attempt, elsewhere. It was said 
there would be a great difficulty to carry out a garden in a place 
like Kensington Gore, as they could not preserve certain plants 
there. Well, he did not believe there was half the difficulty 
which was stated. With respect to the badness of the atmo¬ 
sphere, to be sure there were plants that would not grow there, 
but the application of tlie skill of modern gardening would do 
a great deal to overcome that. It was intended by the Council 
to retain a portion of the grounds at Chiswick, where experi¬ 
mental operations might be carried on, and plants prepared for 
being sent to Kensington. The continuance of tlie Chiswick 
garden would be a part of the expenses of the Society which 
the Royal Commissioners would be obliged to recognise. The 
next question was the quo modo —how was it to be done ? In 
the first place, ‘What is the probable cost of managing these 
gardens?’ He would state what they had estimated tlie out¬ 
side to be, including, too, £1000 a-year for the maintenance of 
Chiswick. It appeared to be the opinion, after due consideration 
by the gentlemen of tlie Council, that that would amount to 
£11,400 a-year, which would also include the £1000 for the ma¬ 
nagement of Chiswick, and another £1000 a-year for contingent 
expenses,—such as bands, police, Ac. With regard to income, 
it was difficult to form an estimate ; but looking at the income 
from similar places in London, and other great towns, the prin¬ 
cipal source of income would be at the doors; Fellows of the 
Society would, of course, be exempt from paying at the entrances. 
Such gardens as those would naturally excite a great desire to 
see them. The Royal Commissioners were of opinion that the 
Council should not look too narrowly on the question of ad¬ 
mission, and that the great mass of the public should be. ad¬ 
mitted in the most favourable manner. On Mondays the price 
to all persons would be id .; on Tuesdays, 6 d.; on Thursdays i 
and Fridays, Is.; and on Wednesdays and Saturdays, 2s. (id. 
On the three months in tho year during the fine weather, a 
band should play every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, and 
during the Easter and Whitsuntide holidays it would also play, j 
Making allowance for bad days, which in this country must be 
j counted as oue in five, and taking this as the basis for receipts 
at the doors, it was calculated that £1200 a-year would he de- | 
rived from the id. oil Mondays; £150 from the (hi. oil 1 ues 
days ; £150 on Thursdays afid Fridays; £1500 on W edfiesday.-., 
from the hand playing; and £f000 from the higher-priced 
admission on Saturdays— the half-crolvrt days, whilst the holiday 
times were expected to jield £000 a-year. The average receipts 
at Chiswick for the six years from 1848 to 185$, were £4000 
a-year. Botanic Gardens in 1858 were £4800. The Crystal 
1’ahute, for the three years front the beginning of 1850 to. tlie 
end of 1858, Were, oti an average, of £4200 at the dotfrs. It 
was not unreasonable to suppose that tlie sum ut £5000, lions 
the tlower shows alone, and the present income of the Society 
of £2700, would be continued, in addition to which they ex 
pected to considerably increase their receipts by the issue ol 
season tickets at four guineas and two guineas each, and 
children at lia!fa-guinea, which would bring the income up to 
about £7,875 more. Supposing it did not diminish, but ou the 
contrary increased, by the admission of new members, Wealthy 
persons, Ac., as it would by being in a wealthy neighbourhood, they 
would be in good circumstances. There would be air outlay ol 
£9400, and an income of £17,475, which would leave a balance 
in favour of receipts of £8,075. The £1000 for incidental ex¬ 
penses would be for police, bands, Ac. Such were - the results, 
if that estimate could be taken as ascertained; it had been 
very carefully prepared, and was now left to the Meeting to 
consider. He looked upon tlie income as being placed too 
low, and the outlay as too high. If the profits were £>000 
a-year the Royal Commissioners would have to allow out of that 
whatever was necessary to pay the interest on any debenture 
stock that may be out, and then there w ould be £5500 a-year to 
divide-between the Royal Commissioners and Horticultural 
Society, which would leave £1750 a-year each. It is not at all 
represented what the Society would receive from the interest 
which great personages would lake in it. Perhaps Her Majesty 
might come and view it, and be followed by all that influence 
which generally surrounds a Court. On such occasions the 
Council would, of course, arrange the prices of admission on 
a scale commensurate with the importance of the occasiun, 
when the returns would no doubt be very large, and would 
totally change the character of the whole future income ot 
the gardens, upon which the estimates stated had been based. 
As to the mode of dealing with this £50,000, lie .could not, 
perhaps, say liow that was to be done; but lie supposed the 
Council would go on issuing life subscriptions—although 
nothing was settled—which would be eagerly purchased by the 
nobility and gentry in the neighbourhood, with the usual pri¬ 
vileges of Fellows, when there would be a very large class 
wlio would be glad of the fiee entry on such conditions into 
such a garden and promenade as that would be. These sub¬ 
scriptions would be issued at twenty and forty guineas each, 
giving personal admission to the ground. A considerable sum 
would soon be raised, as the life subscription would soon • 
amount to a large item. Donations would also be made to a 
considerable extent. They had information that after the gul ¬ 
dens were constructed donations would be made ; but the residue 
would have to be made itp by the issue of debentures. 
£50,000 were a very large sum; but from the information 
which the Council had received, it was believed there were a 
sufficient number of persons interested in the matter who 
would be content to take those debentures at 5 per cent., with 
some privileges attached to them. The debentures were to be 
paid off by surplus income and life subscriptions, it that should 
be a practicable operation. The Council might perhaps make 
the privileges of life *9hbscribers much greater than they were 
at present, and then those privileges of the Society would be¬ 
come to be considered very valuable, and a very great boon. 
Another proposal was, that all persons should lie compelled to 
do that which was done formerly, but allowed to fall into disuse— 
namely, jiay an entrance fee of two guineas. That was what the 
Council intended to adopt; but of course the present members 
of the Society would be exempt from that. He ielt he was 
justified in saying, from the offers that had already been made, 
that the issue'of new life subscriptions would take place rapidly. 
The Council took care to ascertain the numbers that might 
be added, in order to show that those measures would be con¬ 
ducive to the interests of the members of the Society, so that 
they could see they were not likely to lose their money. If there 
were any risk he would tell them not to take the debentures 
at all. It was a difficult thing in dealing with such a matter 
to convince people; but there was no doubt the Council would 
be able to obtain sufficient debenture-holders to secure them 
from loss, because people would be induced to come forward 
ou three grounds. First, because they would be actuated by 
