The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-08-31 00:00:00

SPECIAL VESTRY MEETING.

The annual meeting of this vestry was held yesterday
forenoon in St. Nicholas' Church when Mr. Church-
warden Cropper presided. The first business was the
presentation of the annual report which was read by
Mr Jackson. It was as follows :

"On this day, twelve months ago, the burial board
submitted to the general vestry a plan prepared, after
actual survey by Mr. Young, of Commerce-court, of the
lands the board proposed to purchase as the site of the
future Liverpool cemetery. The vestry authorised the
board to make the purchases, and to construct tile
necessary works.
"The board then proceeded to seek from bankers,
insurance companies, and the Liverpool corporation, a
loan of £76,000, the amount of expenditure sanctioned
by the general vestry, endeavouring, the while, to obtain
on such terms as would be most equitable, and the least
burthensome to the ratepayers at large. In February
last the vestry empowered the board to close with an
offer it had received of the amount required, to bear
interest at the rate of four per cent. per annum, to be
repaid in forty years, by equal annual payments of
principal and interest.
"Whilst these negotiations were going on, the board
invited competitive designs and estimates for the forma-
tion of the cemetery, forming premiums to the best
three of £lOO, £5O, and £3O, to be awarded in the
order of merit.
" Several designs were accordingly sent in. In the
greater part of them considerable talent was displayed,
but; for, practical purposes, there was not one which
approached the expectations of the board. The whole
of them would have been thrown open to public inspec-
tion, but some of the competitors withheld their con-
sent. Four of these sets of designs, however, may yet
be seen at the offices in Clayton-square. The board
being most anxious to avoid all practical errors in the
construction of the proposed cemetery, as well as to
combine in it every desirable feature of beauty and
utility, under the direction of a professional man of
extensive and practical experience in works of the same
character, deputed two of its members to visit and
inspect the most reputed cemeteries in the metropolis
and intermediate towns, to inquire as to their cost and
management, and to gain information which might
assist them in the choice of their future surveyor.
Eighteen large cemeteries were thus inspected, and, as
the result, the board became possessed of an amount
and variety of information for its guidance of the most
valuable kind. •
"The board, in the exercise of that freedom which it
has ever studiously maintained, advertised for a surveyor ;
one well eneuainted with the requirements or large
cemeteries from beginning to end, who would be recom-
mended by his works and past employers as a man well
qualified to discharge the duties of the office, and who
would engage to devote a large proportion of his time to
their fulfilment. Such an one the board believe they
will find in Mr. Gay, the gentleman they have selected.
During the progress of the works Mr. Gay will also act
as clerk to the board, Mr. Enoch Harvey having resigned
the office in June last. An outline drawing of a design
for laying out the ground has been prepared by the
surveyor and his assistants, which has received the
approval of the board, and another, on a reduced scale
for distribution for the use of architects and contractors,
is nearly completed.
"Ample allotments for all classes of interments, as
well as for chapels, catacombs, &c., have been assigned
to consecrated, unconsecrated, and Roman Catholic pur-
poses. The highly ornamented portions of the ground
will occupy the centre, and cover an area of about seven
and twenty acres. Beyond the appropriated and unor-
namental central grounds large reserves are provided on
every side, to be laid out with the rest, with a view to
extend any one or all three of the allotments specified,
at some future time, as their wants may require.
" Negotiations with the Health Committee of the
Town Council and the Commissioners of 'Walton, for
permission to construct a deep outlet sewer between
Priory-lane and Walton-road, are all but completed, so
that this work, which is the base of the drainage and of
all future operations, will, in a few weeks, be in the
hands of the contractors. Advertisements are abroad,
inviting architects to apply after an early day for
instructions, and to furnish competitive designs there-
from for the chapels and principal entrance buildings.
Premiums of £lOO, £5O, and £3O to be awarded in the
order of merit to the best three designs, in the same
manner as for the designs for the grounds. The
remaining erections and boundary-walls will be made to
harmonise, under the directions of the board and their
surveyor. The whole of the works will be offered to
public competition to be done by contract.
"All the lands purchased are in possession of the
board, and during the year the tenancies of the holders
of the lands and buildings have been terminated, or re-
duced to weekly lettings, subject to conditions instituted
by the board. This process has, in some few cases, been
hindered by the tenants, but these are no longer an
occasion of delay to the works.
Temporary offices for the purposes of the board, the
suurveyor, and his staff, hays been taken from Mr.
Cuthbert, adjoining the new Exhibition-rooms, in
Clayton-square, and there is every prospect of the for-
mation of the cemetery proceedins, as rapidly as its great
extent and the importance of its character demands. It
is believed that in two years from this time the cemetery
will be opened and in the use of the public."

The report having been read,
Mr. J. R. JEFFERY, said it would be in the
recollection of the vestry that with reference
to the cemetery plans were submitted in Feb-
ruary last. The Burial Board awarded premiums to
three best, but none of them came up to the manner in
which it had been thought the land should have been
laid out. Subsequently they advertised for a surveyor,
and received in answer to the advertisement four applica-
tions. They selected the one who was in their opinion
most suited to the purposes of the board ; his experience
had been very extensive. In 1853 he was architect and
surveyor and had since been appointed manager of the
Bradford Cemetery; in 1854 he designed and superin-
tended at Halifax ; he had also designed and surveyed
in Toxteth Park. At the time of his appointment by the
board he not only accepted the office of surveyor but
submitted to the board a plan for laying out the ground
of the cemetery, which was approved of. The Board
were now about to advertise for competitive designs for
the enclosures and buildings, and as soou as these were
obtained they would be in a position to proceed without
the slightest interruption. He had no doubt that these
plans would meet with general approval because they
allotted in the relative establishments a proportionate
portion of ground to the members o,lthe EitAblished
Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Dissenters,
with power to extend,
The CHAIRMAN said the next business was the elec-
tion of three members in the place of the Rev. Rector
Campbell, Mr. Aldermau Woodruff, and Mr. Councillor
Stitt, who retired.
Mr. STITT said that upon a former occasion he begged
to be excused from being re-elected and he would now
repeat his request. Both Mr. Woodruff and Rector
Campbell had 'consented to be re-elected. He proposed
the re-appointment of the Rev. Rector Campbell because
he felt sure he would be a man acceptable to the rate-
payers of the town.
The motion was seconded cArt ^ °
and ed without
opposition.
ATy. Alderman Woodruff was also proposed and
seconded and carried unanimously.
Alderman WOODRUFF moved that Mr. BaxteX be
appointed in the place of Mr. Stitt. They would all
regret that they were to be deprived of 11ir. Stitt's ser-
vices, but as lgr. Baxter had consented to stand he
thought him a man, who would prove a fitting substi-
tute.

Mr. Jackson seconded the motion, and Atr, 1,32,*(q
was forthwith elected a member.

This concluded the husinm,

.4IRWIENAEAD STREET RAILWAY.—The number of
passengers carried between the hours of 12 and 7 g'cl9cic
Yggcrday was 4,300,