but the gentlemen opposing the harbour felt themselves placed in a delicate position, and therefore had no wish to do what might be considered unfair and ungentlemanly towards the other members of the committee. It was the view of the committee that one clause should be struck out, because although Mr. Winter felt thy were bound to adhere to a resolution passed a short time since giving their moral support to the scheme, he had yet to learn what that moral support meant. He took it that they could give their moral support while they had no figures to show that it was a paying concern. It had been asserted that three fourths of the inhabitants were in favour of a harbour. It was much easier to make an assertion than to substantiate it; and upon such an important occasion he hoped that those who opposed the harbour would not rest on that statement.He was sure that if they were in a minority they would bow the the majority; but he would ask that they might have an opportunity of discussing the question out of doors. While on that part of the question he would allude to a memorial which he had to present from a great number of the ladies of Hastings [Laughter]. In the present day they heard a great deal about morality; and the ladies who presented the memorial had regarded the matter from a moral point of view. Although the ladies might be smiled at, he could say that those who signed the memorial were well known and highly respected inhabitants and who had very much favoured the town. After condemning the 34th clause of the provisional order, Mr. Gausden expressed his concurrence with Mr. Winter's views as to the injury the town was likely to sustain by the construction of a harbour. In the provisional order power was taken to construct the harbour, but there was nothing to compel the parties to keep it in a proper condition. He thought they should look very carefully at that clause; for, supposing that it was not a paying concern, Hastings would not allow the town to get into dilapidation, and would therefore have to pay to keep the harbour up.
Ald. Ginner observed that there were somethings connected with the scheme which appeared to him of a very novel character. In the first place, it had been very unseemly carried forward. They might say his judgment was a very harsh one, but no man had attempted to show that the harour, when built, would have any mercantile value. Mr. Winter had gone into that question and had shown that there could be no interest to the shareholders. He, himself, had a very important matter to bring before the meeting. It was a somewhat personal one, and he therefore wished to introduce it with the greatest delicacy. It was said that six of the gentlemen whose names appeared as promoters had no real interest in the affair and were mere myths. He would ask the Mayor [Mr. Ross] as one of the six gentlemen, whether he had any responsibility in -
