Provision for the widow and child of the late Mr ELMES

Provision for the widow and child of the late Mr ELMES

We rejoice to observe that the merchants of Liverpool have resolved, as before noted, to manifest their princely gratitude and respect to the memory of one who had done such honour to their town as the talented but unfortunate architect of their noble, St George's Hall, by opening a subscription list, as they have recently done, for his fatherless child, and its mother, Mrs ELMES, for whom, therefore, we cannot doubt that such provision at least will thus be made as their deceased protector has intended himself to provide for them, by an insurance which, was unfortunately vitiated by the voyage to Jamaica, in search of lost health, to enable him, if possible to do so.

The subscription now amounts to £600 to £700 and although we expect that even already this list would have been further filled up, to at least two or three times that amount, we are confident it is coming, as we know the merchants of Liverpool are not the men to stultify themselves by undertaking to do what they are not fully determined to carry out in a manner worthy both of themselves and him whose merits they are thus about to show they appreciate.

Of the love of arts displayed by many of the Liverpool merchants and of its princely remuneration by them, every one has heard. Their treatment of Mr ELMES himself in life is no exception, although the sum he received for his labours [£4,000] was spread over many years of continual excretions on his behalf, and included much personal outlay and expenditure, which prevented him from benefiting his family permanently by its means.

In the mere inauguration of St George's Hall itself, the liberality of the Liverpool people has just been displayed in various ways, as, for instance, by payment of no less than £300 each to 3 or 4 musical artistes for causing the expanse of Mr ELME'S glorious Hall to resound with their sweet voices. How much more then may we expect shortly to see contributed by these lovers of art, as a voluntary testimonial to Mr ELMES himself ! All we require to do is simply urge them to a little more activity, in putting down their names, for sure we are [and indeed their newspaper press informs us] they fully intend to do so, and so we cannot therefore attribute their slowness of movement to niggardly reluctance, to ingratitude or indeed to anything but the urgency of time-absorbing business pursuits, which, however in such case scarcely constitute an adequate response.

copyright 2002 / To date

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