The Sun.
London, England, 1857-08-19 00:00:00

[PRICE 4D. STAMPED 5D .]

the Crystal Palace, and make it a dividend pro-
ducing as well as a national institution."
Mr. HORSLEY, a member of the Shareholders'
Committee, said the committee, in the discharge of
their duties, sat thirty days, of which twenty were
taken up in the preparation of the necessaryreturns
requisite for the due prosecution of the inqu;ry.
Now, he asked the meeting, if they agreed with the
general results the committee bad come to, viz.,
that_ in future the meetings be held twice a-year,
in June and December ; that the directors be in-
creased from eight to twelve, and that 600 guineas
be set apart fir their vmunera.tion ; that there
should be a daily supervision by one of the direc-
tors indepenieet of the ordinary weekly mewing ;
that instead of converting the shares into stock,
only scrip certificates be issued on transfers ; that
the accounts should ba issued and circulated before
each meeting, with a separate and independent
audit ; that the gardens should bo opened on Sun-
days on such terms as the directors might deem
equitable ; that the refreshment department be so
al ered as to secure more accommodation for the
poorer class of visitors ; that the contract with the
lessee of the stables be revised ; that the contracts
were one sided, and that in future all contracts be
put up to public tender and subject to the approval
of the shareholders ; that precautions be taken with
regard to season tickets, and that half-guinea season
tickets be issued for children, and half-yearly tic-
kets issued ; that Saturday be a shilling day ; that
the grand fountains be played on certain ls. days ;
that life tickets be issued on the .surrender of
shares ; and that all accounts above 101. should
show a debtor and creditor side. The last recom-
mendation was to issue gratis, or at a cost of .a
penny, " A Crystal Palace Programme and
Gazette," setting forth the various objects of
genoral interest to be seen or heard within
the building or in the grounds. - He con-
cluded by moving that the direction be increased
from 8 to 12, with a remuneration of 600 guineas
a year.
Mr. SLACK had a resolution to move which he
thought would supersede the one already proposed,
it was to the effect that the report of the committee
of shareholders be received by this meeting, and
that it be recommended to the serious considera-
tion of the directors, accompanied by an expression
on the part of the meeting, that a system of man-
agement, in accordance with the report, appeared
to be desirable, with the view of making the Crystal
Palace more attractive to the great mass of the
people, and that the meeting were clearly of
opinion that such a result might be obtained by
pursuing a popular and judicious course. He was
satisfied that such-a change as this resolution sug-
gested would promote the interest of the public
and secure a dividend for the shareholders of the
company.
Mr. S. SIDNEY said that what they bad to con-
sider was whether the Palace had been properly
managed during the last year. They should bear
in mind that twelve months since the Palace was
for the first time put under the direction of a
general manager, and he maintained that Mr. Fer-
guson bad not had sufficient time to develop all his
plans for improving the condition of the property.
He dissented from the report of the committee as
displaying personal feeling and a total ignorance of
the matter under consideration ' • and his opinion
was that instead of the shareholders taking the
affairs of the company into their own hands, they
should be continued under the management of one
individual, Who should be generally responsible for
the results.

Mr. H. H. CANNON then seconded the resolu-
tion ; and
Thl CHAIRMAN having read it to the meeting,
Mr. Alderman Rosu vindicated the conrse
adopted bythe directors, and urged that they should
be allowed to carry out their views in the best man-
ner possible, and thus retrieve any errors which may
have crept into the mitnagement. Let them place
confidence in the directors, and not seek to fetter
them by reports and resolutions which were not
calculated to promote the interests of the country.

The CHAIRMAN BULL he was anxious to take this
opportunity of expressing his feelings, and those of
the directors, in reference to the general position of
their affairs. In the first place they should bear in
mind the peculiar novelty of the undertaking, and
the various difficulties they had necessarily been
obliged to contend with, from the want of previous
experience on the part of the directors to enable
them to carry out so gigantic a project to a success-
ful result. He did not obj'ct to the spirit of the re-
solution under discussion, but he entert tine i certain
deliberate opinions which induced him to think that
the present directors had endeavoured, whenever an
opportunity arose, to adapt the Crystal Palace to
the wishes and requirements of the people. In proof
of this, be would instance certain events of great
national importance which had taken place in the
building under the auspices of the directors, viz.,
the visit of the Emperor of the French, the Peace
Fete, and the inauguration of the interesting monu-
ment by Marochetti, the Opera Concerts, and the
Handel Festival. These ceremonies, and the man-
ner in which they were carried out, were sufficient
to show that the directors were desirous of seizing
every opportunity that presented itself of making
the Crystal Palace the " palace of the people"—
that is to say, of inducing the public to visit it on
occasions ;involving results of national inte-
rest and importance. As to the Opera Concerts
doubless they would not have taken place had it
not b:en for the destruction of Covent Garden
Theatre, and it was not likely that they would be
repeated in future years. As regarded the various
questions of detail which had been introduced into
the report, this was hardly a fitting occasion for
discussing them ; and in reference to the proposi-
tions to be brought forward respecting " life ad-
missions" and the opening of the Crystal Palace
and grounds on Sundays, they were essentially
matters of opinion which could not properly be
settled at a public meeting. The directors bad
raised the revenue during the past year to 115,0001.
and this circumstance proved that they were en-
titled to the credit of having done something to
promote the success of the nndertaking.
Mr. PUNCHER said that it was quite true that
the events alluded to had been carried out in a very
creditable manner, but at a very considerable ex-
pense, and it was too much to expect the share-
holders could allow their loyalty and patriotism
entirely to absorb their private and personal
,nterestsi.

After a little further discussion the resolutionwas
agreed to.
Mr. HORSLEY moved and Mr. WILSON seconded
a resolution, " that the number of directors be in-
creased from 8 to 12, and the sum of 600 guineas
per annum be awarded to them for their services."
The resolution having been carried,
Mr. SNOW, moved and Mr. KERRY seconded,
" That the number of directors being now increased
to 12, one of them shall attend at the Palace.every
day ; and therefore the services of a managing
director could be dispensed with."
Mr. J. H. JAY moved, as an amendment, " That
the first resolution embodied the opinions of this
meeting, while it left the directors to carry out the
objects of the undertaking in the manner which in
their judgment seemed best."
Mr. SIDNEY seconded the amendment ; and Mr.
Alderman ROSE supported it.
After a brief discussion the resolution was with-
drawn, and the amendment was not put.
Mr. WILSON moved that in future the share-
holders be called together twice a year—in the
Months of June and December.
Mr. REED seconded the motion.
The CHAIRMAN said he had no objection to their
meetings taking place twice a year, or as
notm often:
otnbtihnsk.
theit possible
to shareholders
producem i might ht
the
ed eascioroeu
n;
tbutse every
zd insi x
the course
A desultory conversation took place,_
nialtninobtlyeornovGiarissintesid as an amendment that the
rinng a copy of the re-
body, the expense of farina
of which it was urged from the.boaar
very
ld be such as would not
port to each of them
b ii,
the' results, inasmuch as it
quence of the shareholders
Le compensated for
yoduce at a half-yearly meetinu
numerous
was not possible p
then put, and upon a show of
family ticket,
garbled statement of the
Palace and grounds on Sun-
day declared the
result to be in
largem hteinnig
nily ticket, admitting four or six
al
movedet ii
special
'f
ree there
t.bha
admission t being
every
vi dnegr
yt, : t II
ahst(honiwaoarteecvh°tenorrlas,denesar-
anythingfhfsps
aeitrairvooomn:oucubduelrilsddired)Atohhihtfuvoleabgtnyvhis itie.
Chairman
ecraa:
Te wisfoTt Crystalpeaoi
dayafternoons, and that every bolder of ten shares
persons, as might be determined.
The motioa having been seconded.
should act in strict accordance with the
Captain
spir.t as well as the letter of the charter, which en-
joined that no person be admitted into the Palace
on the Lord's Day in consideration of any money
payment, whether made directly or indirectly.
Mr: Alderman. Ross seconded the amendment,
and a discussion took place, in the course of which
it was contended that the adoption of the resolution
for opening the Palace on Sundays would b e an act
i
Of unfairness to those shareholders who lived At a