The Sun.
London, England, 1852-12-03 00:00:00

A meeting of the subscribers to the fund for the erec-
tion of a monument over the grave of Thomas Hood, took
place yesterday afternoon at the Whittington Club ;
James Wyld, Esq., in the chair.
The report of the Committee, which was read by Mr.
J. Watkins, the hon. secretary, stated that the subscrip-
tions amounted to 3421. 3s. 6d., of which 101/. 16s. had
to be collected. The expenses already incurred were
only 231. 4s. lid. The Committee recommended, as the
funds were likely to remain in hand some time, that they
should be deposited at interest with the London and
Commercial Bank iii the names of Miss Eliza Cook, Mr.
J. Watkins, and a third trustee to be appointed by the
subscribers. The Committee had resolved that, previous
to any appropriation of the funds, another meeting of
the subscribers should be called by advertisement. The
hon. secretary explained that the smallness of the ex-
penses was owing to the generosity of Mr. Murdo
Young, to whom they were indebted for the free insertion
of advertisements which would have cost 801., and
also for having collected among his private friends nearly
1001. In the course of the discussion which ensued
upon the report, allusion was made to an accusation,
that the names of no literary men of note appeared
upon the Committee ; and it was observed, in reply, that
a monument to the memory of such a man as Hood,
would come with quite as much grace from the people
of the metropolis and the country, who appreciated his
genius ; and that, probably, if they had not taken the
initiative in the matter, the poet's grave would have re-
mained without any record of him who rested below.
The recommendations of the Committee were approved
of, and, on the proposition of Mr. Hart, seconded by
Mr. Hibbard, Mr. Murdo Young was unanimously
elected third trustee.
Mr. YOUNG observed that the wish of the meeting
had been anticipated, as upwards of 1001. had been
already paid into the Commercial Bank, another
1001. would be added to it in a few days, and interest
would accrue on the amount deposited un
withdrawn.
On the suggestion of Mr. Young, it was determined
that the subscription list should be kept open until the
Ist of February,

was

1
A vote of thanks to Miss Eliza Cook, and the two St. other trustees, for the great exertions they have made to L°
increase the amount of the fund, and also to the Com-
25
mittee, was carried unanimously.
25
A resolution was then moved, That a general Com- St.
mittee be appointed to manage the raising and appro-
8A
priation of the subscriptions, selected from the
general St:
body of the subscribers. St,
Mr. BALFOUR opposed the resolution. He would ask 5025
the mover whether any of the long list of subscribers, no
from the Duke of Devonshire downward, had expressed St.
their dissatisfaction at the present composition of the 25
Committee ? For his own part, as one of the Corn- 50
mittee, if there could be found any body of gentlemen, 20
literary or otherwise, who could do better than the pre-
sent Committee had done, he was quite willing to retire.
He thought they had all done their duty, from Miss
Eliza Cook, who had gone to Kensal-green and stood in
the damp--(laughter)—to write apoem on Hood's grave,
down to the humblest Committee-man. There would be
one inconvenience attending this proposition, and that
would be, that they would have to introduce into the
Committee not only the Duke of Devonshire, who headed
the list, but also the " poor needle-women," who
came at -the bottom ; and he left it to gentlemen who
were acquainted with public business to say how a
Committee of that sort would act. (Hear.)
Mr. MAGuIRE opposed the motion in an eloquent
speech.
The SECRETARY said, that he had within the last few
days received a letter from Hood's daughter, e:pressing
her extreme gratification that the intention to place a
monument over her father's grave should have origi-
nated where it did, and assuring him that both herself
and her brother felt as much pleasure in that simple fact
as in the design itself. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. ESPINASSE defended the Committee. Looking at
what had been done for Moore, who, socially speaking,
stood much higher than Hood, he thought the present
Committee had done much more than any other which
had ever been formed for a similar purpose. (Hear,
hear.)
After some further discussion the motion was nega-
tived almost unanimously, only the proposer and se-
conder, and two other gentlemen, voting for it.
The meeting then separated after a vote of thanks to
the Chairman.
[Want of space prevents our giving a fuller report at
present, and doing ample justice to the manly eloquence
of the several speakers--Mr. Hart in particular.]