The Sun.
London, England, 1836-07-02 00:00:00

Without giving an opinion of our own upon the sub.:ea of a dis-
pute which, unless speedily adjusted, will do; much mischief, WS
quote from the " Horticaltural Journal" for the present month
several pzssages in Letters to Dr. Henderson and Dr. Lindley, vad
leave our horticultural friends to form their own judgment.

TO BR. 11161MEASON.
*

My complaint, Sir, is, that the paltry savings effected in the
Horticultural Society, are effect-A by the loss ofali honour, credit,
and importance ; and that, unless checked, it will end in utter
ruin. I complain, that there is a list of prizes for which exhibitors
are invited to compete • that exhibiters do compete for them, at
great expense ; and that, when these prizes are fairly won, they
are withheld, contrary to every principle of honour and honesty,
and contrary to the interests of the exhibitions, which depend for
their attraction entirely on the persons thus deceived and defrauded.
I complain, that the saving effected for the Society, by these ex-
ceedingly dishonourable means, is not sufficiently important to
make amends for the loss of one exhibitor's good opinion, and I
will endeavOur to prove it.
The receipts from visiters cannot average much less than 8001.
or 9001. per show. The Society values its medals at consider-
ably more than they cost ; but at its own vaination' the prizes
awarded at the first show did not exceed about 1401. Prizes were
most unjustly and dishonourably withheld from several exhibiters.
The saving to the Society, by this unparalleled act• of duplicity,
did not exceed lA3I. Now, Sir, I put it to any man of ordinary
calculation, whether it was worthy of the Horticultural Society
of London to effect a saving of fifty pounds, by deceiving and dis-
appointing several liberal and enterprising exhibiters, who, after
accepting the invitation to compete, found themselves unjustly
deprived of their promised rewards ?
But, Sir, if your own feelings of honour did not convince you of
the necessity of keeping faith, you have now had the opportunity
of experiencing the effects of deceiving the persons on whom you
depend for your shows. Look at the contents of your booths, at
the first show; I do not pretend that they were so rich as they
would have been, had the exhibiters not been deceived last season,
and puzzled by a foolish circular ; but they were good enough to
show, that many who had been deceived hoped for better fare, and
had partly forgotten their wrongs, among the fresh promises held
out. Ido nut say they were as rich as they would have been,
if the decision of merit had depended on honest, experienced, and
uninfluenced judges ; but they were good euough to satisfy the
visiters in a most untoward season, and afforded the Council an op-
portunity of establishing, by their honesty, if not by their libe-
rality, sufficient confidence to insure improvement. Two gold
medals and several silver ones were most fairly won by the terms
of your own invitation, but were withheld.
Look, Sir, at the effect of your savings on the second show ;
the tables were not bare, it is true, for all the evergreens in the
Society's garden-pots seemed to be dragged forth, to fill up, as far
as they would go, the vacant space. There were scarcely more
than half the number of plants exhibited in May, and those barely
half so good—will not this open your eyes? The Society had bet-
ter have expended 501. more than what was promised, than 50/.
less, at the ti,rst show. They had better have doubled the expense,
than have allowed the exhibition to suffer from the worst of all
causes--a want of confidence in the honour of the council, and the
honesty of the award.

Sir, to persons unacquainted with the facts, these assertions would
seem gross libels on a society, whose professed objects were the
promotion of horticultural skill and cnterprize ; but, as they are
facts known to hundreds, they are recorded instances of profound
ignorance or gross partiality ; and I leave you to pronounce which,
while I content myself by saying they arc a disgrace to the parties
with whom the responsibility rests.
As a Fellow of the Society, I feel in common with many hun-
dreds, that every pound saved by deceiving an eahibit.er is a loss of
character and consequence ; and that, although you and others of
your colleagues may probably feel some gratification at the oppor-
tunities of serving favourites, or requiting opponents, the public
will demand that justice shall be administered by impartial and dis-
interested persons.

Sir, the exhibiters, though individually disinclined to speak out,
demand that the persons appointed to judge the productions shall
go in uncontrolled by the council; and they regret that any gar-
dener has consented to act, where they are trammelled and con-
trolled by others. They have no confidence in any decision come
to in the presence of persons who know the productions. They be-
lieve that the only proper way to render the medal marks of dis-
tinction, is to employ experienced judges, who shall go in un-
shackled, and whose award shall be final. They have no objection
to the Council controlling all recommendations for prizes, which
are not in the list of promises, because all persons who bring pro-
ductions not in the list know the consequence, and have no right
to complain if they receive none; but they demand (and though
they cannot enforce their demand, they can withhold their produc-
tions till it is complied with), that all the prizes promised shall be
awarded; and he assured, until they have some evidence that it will
be so, the exhibitions will continue to fall off.
I am, your obedient Servant„
A SUCCESSFUL EXHIBITER, AND F. H. S.

HORTICULTURAL s
OF LONDON.