The Sun.
London, England, 1857-06-04 00:00:00

HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Yesterday the most charming of all the metropo-
litan fetes—the spring flower-show of this society—
was, after a lapse of two years, again given at Chis-
wick with unusual success. The gardens were beau-
tiful, the attendance of rank and fashion most
numerous, and nothing but more favourable wea-
ther was required to make the display equal to
those days of old when the Chiswick flower-show
was par excellence the fete champetre of the London
season ; but the weather—as is not nnfrequently
the case in England—was not entirely propitious.
It sprinkled rain a little now and then, and was
always threatening much more. To a certain ex-
tent this must have influenced the attendance of
visitors, though we seldom recollect to have seen
the gardens more crowded. Just now the Chiswick
grounds form one of Nature's flower-shows on the
richest and most beautiful scale. Clumps of flower-
ing trees, bushes of lilac, Gueldre roses, hawthorns,
and laburnums are decked in all their varied blos-
soms, checkerieg the colour of the smooth soft turf
like giant flower-beds. The very air seems heavy
with their fragrance, and the light young leaves to
rustle sympathetically under a flood of song which
is poured unceasingly from trees and bushes. The
cuckoos, in particular, were busy, and their well-
known notes echoed through the gardens as "if ten
springs had come at once.
Yesterday, as the brilliant company wandered in
groups among this foliage of blossoms, the effect of
the scene was rich and glowing in the extreme, ir-
resistibly reminding the spectator of the pictures of
Watteau, or the sylvan fetes which Boccaccio con-
jures up. Tho Devonshire-gardens, formerly so
great an attraction, seem not so now. They have
a weedy, deserted look, like the grounds of a house
to let, and contrast but ill with the society's gar-
dens, which, as we have said, are the very acme of
neatness and good order, and lustrous in their pre-
sent beauty.
Amongst the many things exhibited on the
grounds more immediately relating to the science
of horticulture, may be noticed the number of
tents of all descriptions with which one part of the
grass plot was studded. These were specimens of
the sort of coverings required for the comfort, and
security from the elements, of men and animals in
an encampment or a campaign. They were from
the mannfactory of Mr. B. Edgington, of the
Borough, and they showed, in a manner suffi-
ciently clear to everybody by whom they were
examined, the progress which within a few years
has been made for resisting cold and wet in this
class of erections.
As regards the competitors' horticultural display,
we have seen better shows than that of yesterday.
The roses of the nurserymen were very good ; so
also were the azalias, which were rich in blossoms,
and looked like piles of newly-fallen snow. In the
first class—that of mixed stove and greenhouse
plants—were some fine specimens, and so also were
there among the orchids. The fruit was generally
very good, though, except among the pines and
grapes, not such as to call forany particular remark.
There was a very numerous list of succeesful com-
petitors, far to numerous to permit of our more
than mentioning the names of those who took the
chief prizes in the more important classes.
The recipients of the most valuable awards-were
some in three, or more classes—Mr. Dods,
gardener
to Sir J. Cathcart ; Mr. Peed, *gardener to Mr.
Treadwell ; Mr. Pitcher, eardener. to Mr. Bucker;
Messrs. Veitch and Sons; kr. Wooley, gardener to
Mr. Kerr; Mr; Green, gardener to SirE. Antroene r to
us,l
rd
Messrs. Love and Sons; Mr. Wigging' ga' f
Mr. Beech ; and Mr. Turner, of Slough, In fill
the most successful competitors were—Mr. Davies,_
Mr, J. Temple, gardener ..tont,he Dowlais Iron Co. ;
Messrs. Spary and Campbe , and Mr. Iveson, gar-
dener to the Duke of Northumberland. The highest
prizes awarded were 201., with the option given to
the competitors to exchange the money award for
medals at the rate .of 151. or the large gold medal,.
101. or the Knightran medal, or the Bankgian me-
.
dal, and so on.
The band of the Grenadier, Coldstream, and Life
Guards were in attendance in the gardens during
the day, and materially contributed to the anima-
tion of the scene by their performances. Towards
the close the three bands were united, and the
effect produced was most powerful.

ROYAL INSTITUTION OF GREAT BRITAIN.—At the
general monthly meeting held on Monday last, Mr.
William Pole, M.A., F.R.S., treasurer and vice-presi-
dent, in the chair, Messrs. E. T. Bright and A. Colyar
were duly elected members of the Royal Institution, and
Mr. E. Packe was admitted a member of the Royal In-
stitution. Thanks were voted to Professor F. Crace
Calvert, Professor T. 11. Huxley, Mr. E. Vivian, and
Professor A. J Scott, for their di-courses on the even-
ings of May Bth, 15th, 22d, and 29th. The presents re-
ceived since the last meeting were laid before the mem-
hero.

. _
The folios; ing deem/lents
day by the Committee of Spanish AAR!' A -
hollers from Mr. Mocatta, viz..
" From the' Ministe'r of Finance to Mr;
" (Translation.)
" Caracas May 5, 18.57.
" Sir,—The executive power. has: directed me to
inform' you, in answer` to the various despatches
which-you have addressed to me in relation to the
agreetnent, signed on the 3Jth January last, be-
tween the.
Povrles,Venezuelan Commissioners and J. D.
Esq., as Chairman of the Committee of
Spanish American Bondholders, that the Govern-
ment, after mature deliberation, being fully con-
vinced that the republic could not carry it out in -
its entirety and with due punctuality, could not
give its assent thereto. -Nevertheless the Govern-
ment has, at the same time, resolved to submit the
said agreement to Congress, along with a decree
containing the terms of arrangement which it
deems adequate, and an ample memorial demon-
strating the grounds of that decree, in order that
one or the other proposition may be adopted.
This resolution has not been taken without his
Excellency the President having carefully. coil=
isidered all the points of this matter, especially
the fi.cal condition of Venezuela, of its probtlble -
future revenue, and the bounden duty to fulfil 'the -
engagements of the republic, -not only with the
bondholders of the foreign debt, but also in respect
of" all which weighs upon the treasury, since it is
not just to disregsrd any of those obligations.
The Government has deemed 'it advisable to -
consult the true interest of debtor and creditor.
offering to the latter an arrangement of solid and '
permanent results, and maintaining the credit of -
Venezuela, inasmuch as it is del* that by agreeing
to conditions which cannot be fulfilled, not even at
the cost of the greatest
_sacrifices, the country's
situation would be infinitely worse than what it is
at present ; it would lose the benefit of a long and
painful experience, sacriacing its honour, its glory,
and perhaps everything else. Nevertheless, as it -
is the province of Congress to provide for the re- -
venue and to fix the eipeniliture,--the executive
power has submitted :to them the agreement, in
order that they may, if they' think proper, approve
the same, and provide the means to carry it ou4i,
acc riding to their powers and means of action. In
that case, the Government will merely have to'
carry out the resolution of Congress, and if they
provide the necessary funds, there will not .be the
least difficulty in it. In the meantime, however, _
Government copl.d but submit to Congress the state
of the republic, indicating two ways; in order that
they may choose the most expedient one, or reject
both, provided the difficulty is somehow settled.
If this course has not been earlier adopted, and that
that I have held various conferences With you, it
was in the hope of convincing you of the Govern-
ment's correct views of the matter, and because you
stated that you had power to treat in this business ;-
but as you have done nothing more than agreeing
to postpone the commencement of the carrying out
of that agreement until the 30th of September
next, and that here should be returnable the
excess 'of the fourth part of the customs dues
above the amount of the dividends, which
alterations do not affect the bases of the agreement,
the Government could only recur to those measures
the preparation of which had engaged its attention
since the Bth of February. Then it was that the
news arrived of the complete breaking off of the
negotiations upon which the Venezuelan commis-
sioners were engaged in London, in consequence of
the resolutions unanimously adopted by the bond-
holders in a meeting held on the 13th of January
last, and this decisive and peremptory act of theirs
gave to the negotiation an entire new feature.
When it became known that the negotiation had
terminated, and that the bases of the agreement
had been fixed, your coming to Caracas was an-
nounced, which put a stop on the part of the exe-
cutive power to its endeavours to act as long as
possible in concurrency with the bondholders.
" I have the honour to be, &c.,
" (Signed) JACINTO GUTIERREZ.
" Elias Mocatta, Esq., Commissioner of the
Committee."

The following is a copy of Mr. Moca:ta's reply
to the foregoing letter :
"Caracas, May 7, 1857.
"His Excellency Jacinto Gutierrez, Minister
of Finance.
"Excellent Sir,—Your communication of the
sth inst. has just been placed into my hands. I do
not for the present enter into many observations
as to its contents, inasmuch as you state that the
government rejects the agreement effected by its
own commissioners as an arrangement for the
foreign debt of the republic, and that the same has
been transmitted to congress for its decision, or
ultimate rejection, but reserve to myself the right
to do so when the resolve of the congress is made
known to me ; but I hasten to address you in
reply, and to place in your hands this my strong
protest against the right wbich the goveiament
assumes of giving a decree containing the terms it
thinks fit to establish for a settlement of the debt,
and I have to request, as the commissioner of the
British bondholders, and in their name, that this
my solemn protest be laid before the congress prior
to any decision being come to by that body. I
must also state for the information of the congress
' that I only consented to cede the six"months' ex-
tension for the commencement of the said afire
ment, as a means to meet the offer made to me
by, MM. Giuseppi and, M... ITrbaneja, on your
part, namely, that the government would at once
ratify the agreement, if I would agree to its com-
mencing on the Ist of April, 1857, which I did not
deem it right to do, acting for the bet interest of
my constituents.
" I have the honour to be, dm,
(Signed) "E. IocATTA."