The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-13 00:00:00

.N.E',VSP

--i-s.

• //AC i:":7
4 42:?7,1,-
upon an earthen floor, a distance of abou, 12f Z !glip e
No one was killed, but Mr. Burke had his shdul'4•EiSl/4,
blr.de broken.
We had a decided change of weather on Fri
a
night. A very mild thaw set in, and Saturday
brought almost springlike weather. Yesterday
was also fine, but there was a return of frost last
night.

THE PEOPLE'S PARK, BIRMINGHAM

The question as to the completion of thepurchase
of Aston Park was again before the Towt Council
of Birmingham at a meeting of that body held yes-
terday. Since the last discussion on the subject
took place, a " report" has been prepared by a com-
mittee, which enters fully into all the details of this
now unhappily notorious affair. This document
occupies no less than 45 pages. It would,however,
serve no purpose here to give even an outline of the
contents. The extent to which the town stands
committed to purchase the park is shown by the
following extract frctn the address read to her Ma-
jesty on the occnsion of her attendance to open
the park :
In some towns in your Majesty's dominions pablic parks
have wisely been provided by wealthy corporatiors, in others
by the munificence of philanthropic citizens. Here, also,
we are indebted to private liberality for two plans of recrea-
tion for the people; but to Birmingham alone,has it been
given to secure by her own exertions an mictent park for
the physical relaxation—an ancient hall forlPimental cul-
tivation—of her variously employed and laborious

tion.

Your Majesty will, we believe, be gratified t) learn that
Aston-hall and Park have been acquired for tie most part
by the industry and economy of the people thanfielves. Of
the money required for this purpose a large p'oportion has
been subscribed by the working classes—a circumstance
which we venture to hope will not be without interest and
satisfaction to your Majesty.

This address was signed by the Mayor of Bir-
mingham for the timo being, by Mr. Alderman
Lloyd, Mr. Thomas A. Attwood, Mr. Charles Holte
Bracebridge, by several other gentlemen of local
consideration and distinction, and in addition to
these were the signatures of the persons styling
themselves "the interim managers" for effecting
the purchase.

The people of Birmingham have felt keenly and
indignantly the way in which the town appears in
the eyes of the country to have been compromised by
the unauthorised pledge given to the Queen by cer-
tain officials in reference to the purchase of the park
during the arrangements in course of her Majesty's
visit. The park was, as is well known, in the hands
of a joint stock company. Of this her Majesty was
made aware ; but the difficulty of a Royal visit under
such circumstances was removed by the assurance
given by the then Mayor in a letter to the Secretary
of State, signed officially. It now appears that this
was done without authority, but it pledged the coun-
cil to the purchase of the park should the company fail.
The company has failed, and the town council not
having purchased, a blot has been thrown upon the
public spirit, good faith, and loyalty of th.i town.
As has been said, this is deeply felt, and whatever
the merits of the park scheme in the abstract the
general feelingis that the park and hall must now
be bought. The main difficulty—that the price
would almost absorb the legally available moneys
of the council in this department—has been nobly
met by an act of public spirit on the part of a few
of the leading men in the town which will, it is
hoped, satisfy her Majesty that a portion at least of
her Birmingham subjects are alive to a sense of
honour and of what is due to their Sovereign for her
condescension in visiting the town in 1858, In the
course of the last few days Mr. George Dixon (of
the firm of Rabone Brothers) and the Rev. Dr. Mil-
ler, the rector, have exerted themselves to secure
the co-operation of a few others. The result is that a
free gift of £7,000 has been raised amongst a few
persons, and has been offered to the town council as
a supplement to the municipal funds. The gentle-
men who have in this way come forward are :
Messrs. A. and G. Dixon, £2,000; Mr. Thomas
Lloyd, M.P. for Barnstaple, £l,OOO ; Mr. G. F.
Muntz, £1,000; Miss Ryland, £1,000; Mr. W.
Middlemore, £5OO ; Messrs. R. and E. Greaves,
£500; Messes. Archibald and Timothy Kenrick,
£5OO ; Messrs. G. B. and S. Lloyd, £2OO ; Messrs.
A. and D. Evans, £200; C. and I. Shaw, £lOO.

The foregoing was made known to the town
council yesterday in the following communica-

Lion

Birmingham, Jan. 11.

Mr. Mayor,--We the undersigned inhabitants of Bir-
mingham respectfully represent to the town council that our
anxious attention has been drawn to tho position in which
the question as to the purchase of Aston-hall and park now
stands.

The park having been opened by our most gracious and
beloved Sovereign on a day which for its display of heart-
felt and enthusiastic loyalty will long be memorable in the
annals of the town and district, was dedicated by her Ma•-
jesty the Queen to the use of the people.
It is undeniable that her Majesty had previously received
an assurance that under every contingency Aston Park
would be secured to the people for ever.
We wish entirely to abstain from any statement or re-
mark which would reflect upon any individual or upon any
body of persons whatever. We wish also entirely to disclaim
any attempt to interfere by external pressure with the free
judgment of our local representatives. But as we believe it
to be the general conviction of our fellow-townsmen that
ultimately the hall and park must be purchased, and the
wish of her Gracious Majesty carried out, and as we are of
opinion that delay would aob the purchase of its grace, we
are anxious to relieve the council, as far as our efforts have
enabled us to do so, from what appears to be their main dif-
ficulty—namely. that the whole sum required would nearly
absorb for one park the available resources of the council
for expenditure in this department.
In the hope that our efforts may facilitate the only
decision which appears to us to be compatible with the
loyalty and fair fame of our town—namely, the immediate
purchase of the hall and park for the use of the people for
ever—we have much pleasure, Mr. Mayor, in respectfully
requesting you to inform the council that should they de-
cide within a reasonable period—not later than the end of
February—to purchase the hall and park, we are autho-
rised to place at the disposal of the council the sum of
£7,000, which is presented by the donors specified in the
subjoined list in the proportions attached to their names
respectively, each donor making the donation contingent on
no other condition than the early consent of the council to
purchase the hall and the whole of the park from the mu-
nicipal funds.—We have the honour, Bce.
Signed by the Rev. Dr. Miller, Mr. George Dixon, and
others of the donors.

The foregoing having been read and ordered to bo en-
tered on the minutes,

Mr. Alderman HAWSES moved

That,. in order to secure the realisation of her Most
Gracious Majesty's expectation and desire that Aston Park
(which was publicly opened by the Queen) shall be perma-
nently secured as a place for the healthy exercise and ra-
tional recreation of the industrious classes, and in comme-
moration of the auspicious visit of her Majesty and her
illustrious Consort the Prince Albert to this borough on
the 15th day of June, 1858, it is expedient that the park be
purchased by this council; and for this purpose that the
Estate and Buildings Committee be authorised and in-
structed to treat for and buy (at a sum not exceeding
£26,000) the said park and the hall and other buildings
standing thereon, as now or late held and occupied by the
Aston-hall and Park Company, and to do and execute all
necessary acts and deeds that may be necessary to vest the
same in the corporation, under the provisions of" The Bir-
mingham Parks Act. 1854."
Mr. Alderman MANTON seconded the resolution-
An amendment was moved by Mr. GOODRICK, to
the effect that the council was in no way Pledged
to purchase the park. This was seconded by Mr.
BRINSLEY. Several other amendments were moved,
each of them with the object to avoid the purchase,
and a debate ensued, which lasted several hours.
Sir JOHN RATCLIFF, who was Mayor at the time
her Majesty visited the town, vindicated himself as
to the course he pursued. Circumstances had, he
said, undoubtedly altered as regarded the purchase
of the park, but at the time all was enthusiasm,
and no one doubted the result. The letter to the
Home-office, written by the town-clerk, and signed
by him (Sir John) as Mayor, was, he insisted,
worded in a proper spirit.
The result was that no vote was taken on the
original resolution, and any decision was postponed
until the next meeting of the council.

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