The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-05-03 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL BOTANIC GARDENS

The adjourned special meeting of the Proprietors in the
Liverpool Botanic Gardens was held at twelve o'clook, yes-
terday, in the Clarendon Rooms, South John-street. It will
be recollected that a special meeting was held in the same
place,
on Monday, the 28th March last, to consider the pro-
priety of selling the gardens, when certain resolutions were
passed, to the effect that, before doing so each proprietor
should exercise all his influence to procure additional sub-
scribers. The present meeting was to receive a report of
what had been done. The chair was taken by G. H.
FRECKLETON, Esq., M.D., chairman of the committee.
The CHAIRMAN said this was an adjourned special meet-
ing, and he should perhaps better explain the object of it by
reading the proceedings of the special meeting held on the
oStli March last. They were as follows :—" Proposed by
Mr. George llolt, seconded by Mr. R. V.-Yates, and carried
—That it is under feelings of deep regret this meeting receives
the information that the efforts of its committee, in its en-
deavour to devise means for the liquidation of the debt, have
proved unavailing; but that, as a last effort, before bringing
the garden to sale, an urgent application be made by each
proprietor to all his friends to become subscribers to the
garden." " Proposed by Mr. Robert Mather, seconded by
Dr. Dickenson, and carried—That no share in the garden be
sold for a less sum than ten guineas ; that each shareholder
pay an annual subscription of one guinea and a half ; and that
subscribers not proprietors be admitted on payment of two
guineas annually." He regretted to say the committee were
not aware that any gentleman had been able to procure any
additional subscribers, and that there had been no increase
of them. They were still in the same awkward position in
which they were at the last meeting, and they were quite
unprepared with any plan to propose to the proprietors.
Every means had now been tried to save the gardens ; and
he must confess that the committee were unable to propose
anything short of selling them.
Mr. CARR asked whether an application had been made to
the corporation, with the view of increasing their subscrip.
tion

The CHAIRMAN said that several proposals of that sort
had been before the committee, but they had been given to
understand that it would be perfectly unavailing to apply to
the corporation either for a grant of money or for an addi-
tional subscription. A grant of money, they had been ad-
vised, was out of the question.

Mr. CARR thought if the council saw the gardens likely
to be given up, that circumstance would be some inducement
for them to increase their subscription.
The CHAIRMAN questioned whether the council would
make a grant without certain provisoes, which would imme-
diately bring the committee into collision with a considerable
part of the shareholders, and so reduce even the present
list of subscribers.

Mr. FALCONER said all would agree with him that no pro-
prietor wished to make a speculation of selling the gardens.
He would much rather see them broken up than it should be
so. When they considered the state of the finances at this
moment, they would see that there was no occasion to give

to the Tr

of the value of £BOOO, independently of the valuable library,
plants, and the glass, which he should think were worth
from £2OOO to £2500 more. Thus, then, they had pro-
perty worth 10,000 guineas. The debt was £2700. If' they kept
up the gardens for a few years, they would of course increase
the debt, but still they would have sufficient to pay it. He
believed there would be no difficulty in executing a deed of
trust for raising money upon the gardens by way of mortgage.
He recommended, then, that somewhat more money than
was required to pay off thel bank be borrowed upon mortgage.
The gardens might then be kept together for a certain period;
circumstances then might so change that the debt would be
redeemed and the gardens also kept up. He would not,
however, go to the corporation to borrow the money ; he
would much rather go to the public. They might borrow at
41 per cent., and make provision for the payment of the
interest by means of a sinking fund. Mr. Falconer then
moved a series of three resolutions, to the effect that as the

value of the property so far exceeded the demands upon it
it was proper, if not expedient, to prevent the breaking up of
the institution ; that to relieve its financial difficulties the
solicitor be directed to prepare such a deed of trust as would
be a legal mortgage, and that the committee be directed to
borrow the sum of £4OOO upon mortgage of the real property,
being one half of the estimated value thereof, exclusive of
the library, plants, and glass, for seven years, and appropriate
the same to paying oft the balance due to the bank of £2700,
and the sum of £llOO to the payment of the interest, and
the residue to be transferred to the treasurer to be accounted
for by him.

The resolution having been seconded, a long desultory
conversation followed, in which the Chairman, Mr. Carr,
Mr. Falconer, Mr. Martineau, Mr. Wright, Mr. Turner,
and Mr. Barclay took part, at the end of which, in order to
obtain regularity in the proceedings, it was agreed that Mr.
Robinson's motion for the sale of the gardens should be put
first.

The CHAIRMAN then put the question, whether the gar-
dens should be sold. Only twelve hands were held up for
it, whilst a very large majority appeared against it. The
Chairman then declared the motion to have been lost.

Some conversation next took place upon Mr. Falconer's
motion, which eventually was incorporated with Mr. Mar-
tineau's, and made into a substantive proposition to the effect,
that it be an instruction to the committee to endeavour to
raise a sum of money to pay off the whole debt, or part of it,
and the interest thereon, upon the security of the land.
In answer to a question, it was stated that the land was
freehold.

•
against the worship of images as an injury to God ; in the
third, Tertullian, Origen, and Clemens Alexandrinus con-
demned the practice; and in the fourth, it was rejected by
brose. The testimony might have been
iut he appealed to the meeting, as honest
.t he had prpduced was not sufficient to
ine of the early church? (Loud cheers.)
A rev. gentleman shewed that the doc-
rine of image worship is not only unnoticed by, but is di-
rectly adverse to, express statements of the Word of God.
It is sufficient on this point, especially as the argument has
often appeared in our columns in another form, to say that
the rev. gentleman completely established the position. We
object, he continued, to the worship of images, then, because
"it is a fond thing vainly invented, and grounded upon no
warranty of Scripture, but is rather repugnant to the Word
of God." We object to it because century after century of
the Christian era had rolled away before it had received any
countenance, or even had any existence ; and whilst we would

y expancle,
whether v

allow progressive improvement in church discipline, we offer
a sturdy, opposition to any innovation upon church doctrine.
(Cheers.) We object to it because it tends to narrow our

devotional duty, to limit our approach to God, to confine
our prayer to place and time, for we shall only pray there
and then, where and when we shall have the idol or image.
(Cheers.) We object to it because it tends to lead one to
place the idol or image in the place of God, to confound the
figure, a senseless block of wood or piece of stone, with the
Jensil JP' (Hear, hear.) We object to it
eit indir tiv.l ,ot directly, takes the place of Christ

comprehensible Deity

THE NEW LIGHT-SHIP.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD,

SlR,—The Dock Committee having determined on an iron
light-ship, I hope they may be not more disappointed than
they have been in the last N.W. ship, built under the super-
intendence of the Marine Surveyor. I cannot afford time
to discuss the relative qualities between wind, cork, and
wood, with " Proselyte" or any other jack-in-the-box.
May 2, 1842. JOHN ASKEW.

ST. CATHERINE'S CHURCH, TRANMERE.—The eccle-
siastical commissioners have recommended an annual grant
of £4O to be made to the salary of the minister of this
church, from the funds placed at their disposal.
Sir Howard Douglas, says the Spectator," as might have
been anticipated from several allusions to the lonian Islands
in his parliamentary speeches, is to appear, at the Queen's
fancy ball, in the character of Sancho, governor of Barataria."
REPRESENTATION OF BRIGHTON.-011 Saturday last the
writ moved for on Friday night by Mr. Tufnell, for the
election of a burgess to serve in parliament in the room of
Mr. I. N. "Vigney, was received by the returning officer,
who immediately appointed Thursday next for the nomina-
tion, and the next day for the polling. The conservatives
are in high spirits at the result of Lord Alfred Hervey's

canvass.

RIGBY WASON, ESQ.-It would be seen that a motion
was made by this gentleman last week, in the House of Com-
mons, the object of which was to restrict counsel, employed
on Election Committees, to one Committee at a time.
Thereby hangs a tale. The honourable member, for he was
then one of the representatives for Ipswich, had retained
Mr. Austin to defend his seat, which was being assailed on
the ground of bribery and corruption. Being anxious to
have his pennyworth for his penny, he insisted on Mr. Aus-
tin devoting his whole time and attention to his case, and on
Mr. Austin refusing to do so, withdrew his retainer. The
petitioners getting ear of this, nipped up that eminent elec-
tion lawyer to help them to unseat Mr. Wason, and to the no
small delight of all parties, they succeeded. It was, we
suppose, under the smarts of Mr. Austin's powerful talents
against him, that the ex-member for Ipswich made the motion
we have referred to.