46 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  21,  i&§'?. 
whom  it  may  be  bestowed,  and  to  whom  it  may  descend— the 
“Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Victoria  medal.” 
This  form  of  celebration  has,  we  are  informed  by  the  report, 
been  decided  upon  after  considering  “  various  proposals  ”  which 
were  found  impracticable,  and  we  cannot  do  otherwise  than  think 
the  decision  a  happy  one.  Moreover,  the  proposal  covers  a  wider 
area  than  any  exhibition  would,  inasmuch  as  the  recipients  of  the 
medal  will  not  be  confined  to  exhibitors  of  produce  only.  Some 
of  these,  it  may  expected,  will  be  recipients,  for  they  have  done 
much  for  the  advancement  of  the  art  of  which  they  are  able 
exponents,  and  they  will  have  another  chance  at  Shrewsbury  ;  but 
it  is  conceivable  there  are  others  who  have  done  something  too 
outside  the  competitive  arena,  yet  diligent  workers  all  the  same  in 
the  wide  domain  of  horticulture. 
As  the  correspondence  relating  to  the  subject  under  notice 
cannot  be  otherwise  than  interesting  to  many  readers  we  publish 
the  following  letters  with  which  we  have  been  favoured  : — 
Royal  Horticultural  Society,  117,  Victoria  Street,  S.W. 
December  18th,  1896. 
— I  desired  by  the  Council  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society  to  ask  you  to  lay  before  Her  Gracious  Majesty  the  Queen, 
Patron  of  the  Society,  a  proposal  which  they  beg  leave  to  bring  before 
their  Fellows  for  the  establishment  of  a  medal  or  medallion  in  celebra¬ 
tion  of  the  attainment  by  Her  Majesty,  in  1897,  of  the  sixty  years  of 
her  happy,  prosperous,  and  beneficent  reign. 
With  Her  Majesty’s  gracious  permission  and  approval,  the  Council 
wish  to  name  their  medal  “  The  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Victoria 
Medal ;  ’’  and  their  proposal  is  that  it  should  be  awarded  by  the  Society, 
“  Honoris  Causa,”  to  a  certain  number  of  persons  distinguished  for 
their  services  to  horticulture,  or  eminent  in  the  science  and  art  of 
gardening. 
The  Council  express  a  confident  belief  that  no  such  distinction 
exists  at  present,  and  that  the  institution  of  such  a  *•  Medal  of  Horticul¬ 
ture  ”  would  be  received  with  marked  favour  by  Her  Majesty’s  garden- 
loving  subjects.  They  therefore  venture  humbly  to  hope  that  their  pro¬ 
posal  may  meet  with  Her  Majesty’s  gracious  consent  and  approval. — I 
have  the  honour  to  be  your  obedient  servant, 
(Signed)  Trevor  Lawrence,  President. 
To  the  Right  Hon.  Sir  Fleetwood  Edwards,  K.C.B. 
Osborne,  December  23rd,  1896. 
,  Dear  Sir,— In  reply  to  your  letter  of  the  18th  inst.,  which  I  have 
laid  before  the  Queen,  I  am  commanded  to  express  H.M.’s  regret  that 
she  can  only  refrain  in  this  instance,  as  in  all  similar  cases,  from  giving 
any  personal  opinion  with  reference  to  any  specific  proposal  for  the 
commemoration  of  the  sixtieth  anniversary  of  the  reign. 
At  the  same  time. the  Queen  has  no  possible  objection  to  raise  to  the 
establishment  of  the  medal  referred  to,  or  to  the  name  that  it  is  proposed 
should  be  given  to  it — and  they  would  appear  to  be  points  that  rest  with 
the  Council  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society. — I  am,  dear  Sir,  yours 
faithfully,  J 
(Signed)  Fleetwood  J,  Edwards. 
Sir  Trevor  Lawrence,  Bart. 
Clearer  sanction  on  the  part  of  Her  Majesty  could  not  be 
expected,  indeed  was  not  possible  under  the  circumstances,  and  we 
have  only  to  say  now  that  we  do  not  envy  the  Council  of  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society  the  task  of  awarding  thii  “Victoria  Medal  of 
Horticulture.”  We  now  pass  to  another  most  worthy  proposition, 
and  if  it  does  not  ‘  catch  on”  we  shall  be  both  deceived  and 
disappointed. 
The  GARDENERS’  ROYAL  RENEVOLENT  INSTITUTION. 
The  report  of  the  Committee  of  this  noble  Institution,  of  which 
Her  Majesty  has  been  the  Patroness  for  forty-five  years,  appears 
on  another  page.  In  that  report  it  will  be  noticed  that  it  has  been 
“determined,”  or,  to  be  accurate,  determined  to  “endeavour;” 
but  we  think  it  is  enough  to  “  determine  ”  that  a  “  Victorian  Era 
Fund  ”  shall  be  established  for  the  proposition  to  become  an 
accomplished  fact,  especially  as  the  object  is  to  produce  a  fund 
sufficiently  large  to  enable  the  Committee  to  give  temporary  assist¬ 
ance  to  applicants  who  are  waiting  to  be  placed  on  the  pension 
list,  and  it  is  already  “resolved”  to  send  on  June  21st  next  the  sum 
of  £5  to  each  unsuccessful  candidate  at  the  present  election. 
As  we  cannot  make  a  stronger,  and  at  the  same  time  a  more 
reasonable,  appeal  on  behalf  of  this  Fund  than  that  of  the  esteemed 
Treasurer  of  the  Institution,  we  have  pleasure  in  publishing  the  I 
following  letter,  as  it  will  thereby  be  able  to  reach  the  eyes  (and  ’ 
hearts)  of  some  readers,  both  gardeners  and  amateurs,  to  whom, 
it  may  be  impossible  to  send  a  copy  direct. 
Royal  Exotic  Nursery,  644,  King’s  Road,  Chelsea,  S.W. 
January  14th,  1897. 
SIR, — The  extraordinary  event— unique  in  our  country’s  history — of 
Her  Majesty  completing,  in  June  next,  the  sixtieth  year  of  her  beneficent 
reign,  demands  from  us  all,  I  venture  to  suggest,  some  special  effort 
testifying  to  our  deep  thankfulness  for  the  wonderful  progress  made  in 
every  way  by  our  nation  during  the  past  sixty  years,  and  for  the  many 
blessings  we  now  so  freely  enjoy. 
Animated  by  this  feeling  the  Executive  of  the  Gardeners’  Royal 
Benevolent  Institution  (of  which  our  beloved  Queen  has  been  tbe 
Patroness  for  forty-five  years)  have  determined  to  endeavour  to  celebrate 
so  remarkable  an  occurrence  by  establishing  a  special  fund,  to  be  called 
“  The  Victorian  Era  Fund,”  the  income  from  which  shall  be  devoted  to 
affording  temporary  assistance  to  those  applicants  who  are  waiting  to  be 
placed  on  the  pension  list,  and  who  have  been  subscribers  to  the 
Institution ,  every  friend  of  which  it  is  felt  may  be  confidently  relied 
upon  to  do  their  utmost  to  help  raise  a  sufficient  sum,  the  interest  of 
which  shall  be  devoted  to  the  benefit  of  those  who,  when  in  a  position  to 
do  so  by  becoming  subscribers,  did  what  they  could  to  assist  others. 
The  Committee  consider  that  a  sum  of  at  least  £6000  will  be  required 
to  enable  them  to  adequately  carry  out  what  they  propose,  and  this  in 
addition  to  the  amount  required  to  meet  the  usual  yearly  outgoings  of 
the  Institution,  which  exceed  £3000  (the  sum  paid  at  the  present  time 
in  pensions  alone  being  £2840),  and  I,  as  Chairman  of  the  Committee, 
appeal  to  every  gardener  and  lover  of  gardens  in  the  country  to  aid  us 
in  raising  this  sum — 
First,  By  giving  what  he  can  himself  and  urging  his  brother  gardeners 
to  do  the  same. 
Second,  By  earnestly  appealing  to  all  lovers  of  gardens  to  contribute 
something  to  this  object. 
And  I  feel  certain  that,  if  only  every  gardener  will  do  what  he  can, 
the  proposal  of  the  Committee  will  be  fully  realised. 
Any  further  information  or  details  of  the  scheme  will  be  most 
readily  given,  either  by  myself  or  by  the  Secretary  (Mr.  George  J. 
Ingram,  60,  Parliament  Street,  S.W.,  London),  who  will  also  be  pleased 
to  forward  to  any  applicant  collecting  cards  or  boxes. 
Earnestly  begging  you  to  give  the  matter  your  warmest  support, 
I  am,  dear  Sir,  yours  faithfully, 
Harry  J.  Veitch,  Chairman  of  Committee  and  Treasurer. 
A  notification  accompanies  the  above  appeal,  which  we  also 
publish  with  great  satisfaction — namely,  that  at  the  fifty-eighth 
anniversary  festival  dinner  of  the  Institution,  to  be  held  at 
the  Whitehall  Rooms,  Hotel  Metropole,  on  Wednesday,  May 
26th,  1897,  and  over  which  the  Right  Hon.  Lord  Rothschild  will 
preside,  the  following 
DONATIONS,  &C.,  ALREADY  PROMISED— 
£ 
s. 
d. 
His  Grace  the  Duke  of  Westminster, 
President 
... 
100 
0 
0 
The  Baron  SchioJer,  Vice-President 
«  « •  «  «• 
200 
0 
0 
C.  Czarnikow  . 
•  ••  • •  • 
•  •  • 
60 
0 
0 
N.  N.  Sherwood,  Trustee  (In  memory  of  Emma  Sherwood) 
200 
0 
0 
Harry  J.  Veitch,  Treasurer 
4  «  •  •  • 
•  •  • 
250 
0 
0 
W.  Sherwood  (In  memory  of  Emma  Sherwood) 
... 
100 
0 
0 
E.  Sherwood  „  ,, 
If 
100 
0 
0 
May  Sherwood  ,,  „ 
If 
... 
100 
0 
0 
George  Monro  . 
•  •  • 
100 
0 
0 
James  Veitch  &  Sons  . 
«•*  •  M 
250 
0 
0 
Thames  Bank  Iron  Company 
•  •  •  •  •  • 
•  •  • 
21 
0 
0 
A.  Watkins . * . 
•  •  • 
•  •• 
10 
0 
0 
James  Hudson  . 
...  ••• 
•  •  • 
6 
0 
0 
J.  W.  Seden  (Life  Subscription)  ... 
...  •  •• 
•  •  • 
10 
10 
0 
J.  Seden  ...  ...  ...  ... 
... 
•  •  • 
2 
2 
0 
It  will  be  seen  that  gardeners  have  good  and  generous  friends  ; 
and  in  no  way  can  appreciation  of  the  aid  thus  rendered  be  so 
acceptable  to  the  donors  as  in  the  army  of  worthy  workers  them¬ 
selves,  doing  what,  they  can  on  behalf  of  an  Institution  that  has 
done  so  much  for  so  many  to  whom  its  help  has  proved  a  blessirg 
in  the  past,  and  now,  as  it  will  in  the  time  to  come.  We  have  yet 
another  communication  to  append. 
To  my  mind  the  most  encouraging  sign  of  all  is  to  see  the  rising 
generation  of  young  gardeners  (page  17)  supporting  the  Gardeners’ 
Royal  Benevolent  Institution.  These  are  the  very  men  wanted  to  take 
a  practical  and  enthusiastic  interest  therein.  It  is  highly  commendable 
and  quite  possible  for  every  young  gardener  to  save  sufficient  to  make 
himself  a  life  member  before  he  qualifies  for  a  head  place.  Doubtless 
if  head  gardeners  would  take  up  their  case  and  act  as  treasurers,  also 
choosing  the  right  opportunity  of  representing  the  facts  to  their 
employers,  assistance  would  be  forthcoming  in  many  instances  through 
such  a  very  commendable  channel,  thereby  solving  in  the  most  practical 
way  the  problem  of  old  age  pensions,  which  agitates  the  minds  of 
philanthropists  and  others  at  the  present  day. 
