17. N o alteration in or addition to the above fundamental laws shall be made, unless with the consent of two-thirds of the donors and subscribers, assembled after ten days' notice, at a general meeting called for the express purpose of considering such proposed alterations or additions.
Preliminary Difficulties.
The projectors had entered upon a work the difficulties and delays of which they had not pre-calculated, for the necessary funds could not be procured without the exercise of extreme perseverance. It was a long, plodding, hilly journey, with discouragements cropping up at every advance; but there was no looking backward. W h e n the good work was initiated no one dreamed that more than four years would pass away before thefirststone of the building could be put down ; yet so it happened. However, they plunged into the enterprise bravely, and by continuous efforts secured some funds. Every device known to modern ingenuity for " raising the wind," (except a bazaar, in some unaccountable manner overlooked) was resorted to, such as donations, subscriptions, collections, concerts, amateur theatricals el hoc genus omne; and to provide for the more pressing cases of misfortune, a small brick cottage in Little Collins Street West, was rented as a temporary hospital. In April, 1842, a s u m of ^ 3 0 0 was available, and as this sum was sufficient to claim a Government subsidy, it was resolved to commence the erection of portion of a permanent building. At a meeting of subscribers this intention was affirmed, the interim committee resigned, and another was appointed. W h e n applied to for the grant of a site some time after, Sir George Gipps, the Governor of N e w South Wales, refused, an act which occasioned m u c h surprise and indignant dissatisfaction. Though the temporary hospital was removed to more spacious and two-storied premises in Bourke Street, nearly opposite the n o w Saint Patrick's Hall, its accommodation was most inadequate and inconvenient, but it had to be endured as best it could. In July 1843, another application was m a d e for a Government site, but nothing came of it. It was now ascertained that the Executive was not disposed in any case to contribute more than ^ 5 0 0 towards the Building Fund, and in this shilly-shally, unprofitable manner, time flew by, and the end of 1844 was approaching without any perceptible progress being made, except the collection of a few hundred pounds. It was impossible that such a state of things could be suffered to continue, and so a most influential, though private, meeting was held at the residence of Dr. Palmer, of Richmond, from which emanated a remonstrance to the Governor, urging the prompt granting of a site, and demonstrating the absolute inutility of so small a sum as ^ 5 0 0 for hospital building purposes. A Committee was appointed to make the necessary representations to the Government; and it soon became known that the Governor had agreed not only to grant a site, but also to increase the ,£500 to ^ 2 0 0 0 . In consequence of this, an important meeting of subscribers was held at the Royal Hotel, on the 7th February, 1845, presided over by the Mayor (Mr. H . Moor), and attended by the Superintendent (Latrobe), and the Resident Judge (Jeffcott). A report was submitted from the Provisional Committee, of an encouraging nature. T h e Commission recommended two blocks, viz, (1) what was then known as " T h e H a y and Corn Market Reserve," where St. Paul's Cathedral is being erected (1888), and (2) where the Hospital was subsequently built on. A m e n d e d Rules were also presented, in which alterations to the following effect were, amongst others, suggested :—"Every benefactor of ^ 2 0 and upwards to be a Life Governor, and a yearly subscriber of £2, an Annual Governor, with a right of voting at all quarterly or special meetings, and having one patient always on the books. ,£10 or upwards constituted a Life Subscriber, or a yearly subscription of £1 an Annual Subscriber, privileged to recommend six Out-patients every year. Honorary Life Governorships were conferrable upon thefirst-namedexecutor of a will containing a ,£50 bequest to the Institution; a minister of religion collecting ^"30; or for special services on recommendation of the committee and election by a general meeting. The report was received and adopted. It was stated that the Government was ready to advance ,£1000 towards the building, conditional on a like amount being raised by private contribution. A subscription list was forthwith opened and a strong desire manifested for the making of a great effort to acquire the necessary funds. A sum of ^ 2 6 5 was subscribed in the room ^"166 of which was to pass into the Building Fund. T h e meeting concluded with the nomination of a pro tern, executive, consisting of Superintendent Latrobe as President; the Resident Judge and the Mayor, VicePresidents; Captain Lonsdale and Mr. E. E. Williams, Trustees; Messrs. D. C. M'Arthur and William
