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

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LIVERPOOL BOTANIC GARDENS

The' adjourned special meeting of the Proprietors in the
Liverpool Botanic Gardens was held at twelve o'clock, yes-
terday, in the Clarendon Rooms, South John-street. It will
be recollected that a special wetting 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. 1-1.
FRECItLETON, 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
'readinz the proceedings of the special meeting held on the
2.Brh March last. They were as' follows :--" Proposed by
Mr. George Holt, 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, a❑ 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. C-ARR 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. JAMES MULLENEUX asked what sum was necessary
to carry the gardens on,—in other words, what amount of
increased subscriptions would be necessary ?
The CHAIRMAN, in reply, said that £BOO a-year would
enable the committee to carry on the gardens. For the last
year their real income from subscribers bad been about
£77-1. 12s. 6d.

Mr. MULLENEUX observed that £l5O additional were
then required.
The CIIAIRMAN added, that the interest charged by the
bank was included in the £BOO. £BOO a-year barely enabled
them to carry on the gardens.
Mr. MULLEN EUX.—Then what should you want besides?
The CHAIRMAN.—About £2OO. The permanent income
made a total of £774. 12s. 6d.

Mr. WaionT remarked, that then there was only £26
short of the £BOO necessary to carry on the gardens.
Mr. M ULLEN E ux.—You stated that you wished to increase
the number of subscribers, an i you found no result.

•
The CHAIRMAN.—None at all.
Mr. MULLENEUX thought that many of the proprietors
might engage to obtain at least five additional subscribers.
Mr. MATIIER said if Mr. Mulleneux had attended the
former meetings he would have known that this subject had
been fully discussed, and that the plan had been found quite