g.u-(lcn • and among other things ho planted two Icntisks or mastie trees, for which he
n'liil foi-tv noimds and four white-striped and variegated hollies, which cost him five
L i n d s cL li tree.’ Kew H o ^ e^ au d S ™ ™ L ? t T w a l T
E S e “ h L ? L ° L L ° l L ^ Wales, son to George II. and father of George III.,
a d i S i ! Sm sH u a tí? of Kew House, took a long lease of it from the Capel famdy
Wmit the vear 1730 and began to lay out the pleasure-grounds, consisting nearly of
‘n o t c r e s These -iréunds w Í o completed after the death of the prince by Ins widow,
the P t a c L s L L g c r t a Wales, who, assisted by the Ea rl of Bute first establisl.ed the
lintmic warden In 1759 Mr. William Aiton was placed in charge of the botanic
p-firdon which from that period increased rapidly. About the year 1789, his majesty
m . p u X e d the property, and, pnlliiig down the house, annexed ‘he grmmds
to a small ted-briek dwelling whieh had been purehased
Queen Charlotte, and which has been since known by the name ? K“ " L " “ ;ro ? “
grounds at Kew romaiiiod as a private garden belonging Y 'L n d
yefu- 1840, when they were relinquished by her present ,0 “ ™ J ' ? ? Y , .
i l L d under the control of the Commissioners of Her Majesty’s Woods and lo iests,
vith the view of rendering them avaiiahlo for the geneiM S f t« L L n ?m b e r s “ ' “ I t stíU
was erected in these gm-dens, as early as 1760, by bir William Chambei s. i t still
Pxists and must have been a remarkable stracturc for that time, being 114 feet long.
S l l ’e î l r a n g m y was erected, also, by Sir Willham Chambers I t is 1« io«t fong,
30 feet wide and 25 feet high. “ In 1788, a greenhouse was built for Cape plmits,
110 feet lo n i (which still remains) i and another for the vegetable prodtations of New
Htalm d L a r i r L same size, w!s added in 1792.” A catalog™ of the plants m
Î L em-den wa? first published by Dr. Hill, in 1768, but it was afterwards simoeoded
by a much more elaborate work, entitled the Hortm Kewensis winch was piibhslied y
Mr. Aiton, in 1789, and of which many editions have appeared.^ Vanous stoves^
houses and nits were erected during the early part of the roign of George IIL , but
during’ tho latter part of liis reign, and during tho whole of that of his suooessor Gcra-go
IV „ Kew Gardens wore comparatively neglected ; hut in the reign of William IV . a
lai-ge conservatory was removed from Buckingham Palace to Kew, and elected there m
1836 In 1840 these gardens were very much neglected, and at so kiw an ebb, that it
! v a s k a teV iu the p a p L of the day, that the Earl of Surrey, then Lord Treasurer of
Her Majesty’s household, made an offer, on tho part of the govoriiment, to the council
of tho Horticultural Society, to sell the whole coUection of plants m the Kew Gaidcns
thoro being an intention of employing the groimd for raising culinaiy
the houses for forcing. Happily this design was given up ; and the gaideiis, under
tho care of Sir W. Jackson Hooker, have risen to a degree of ominonco that they nci or
before attained. In 1842 was begun an immense palm-house (Jig. 203.) winch occupies
203
an area 362 feet in length. The centre is 100 feet wide, and 66 foct high to
of the lantern. The wings are 50 feet wide and 30 feet high.^ Tins house was
finished in 1848. Tho extent of glass required for covering this vast building is
360,000 square feet. This immense building was finished, and the plants removed into
it, ill the autumn of 1848. I t is impossible for any garden moi;e improved m a
short time than that of Kew, since it has been under the carc of Sir W. L lo o k e r. Not
only have the plants in the open air been carefully re -a iran g cd ; hut the plants in tne
greenhouses and stoves have been thrown into natural groups, so that the principles or
classilication may now be studied in the plant-houses as weU as in the open air.
638. The Ctmbriilge botanic garden was founded hy the Ecv. Dr. Richard Walker in
1761. It has chiclly become celebrated for the useful catalogue of plants (Hortus Cantabrigiensis)
published by Domi, its late curator. Tlic garden is small, and never at any
one time could contain all tlic plants, to the number of 9Ü00, cnunicrated iu th.at work.
But if over introduced there, that circumstance is supposed to justify thcii- insertion iii
the catalogue. A new bot.anic garden was commenced here in 1846.
639. The Liverpool botanic garden owes its origin to tlie celebrated W. Roscoe, Esq.
I t was begun in 1803, and a catalogue was published iu 1808 by Mi-. Shepherd, tho
curator, containing above six thousand species. In 1831 tlic gai-dcn was removed to
a new site, the old one having become so sun-ounded by houses as to be unfit for growing
plants. The botanic gardens of Hull, Colchester, and Bm-y St. Edmunds were established
soon after that at Livcipool. Tho Manchester Botanic Gai-den was established
about 1830 ; and that at Birmingham the following year.
640. The London Horticultural Society was first established in 1802, principally
through the exertions of the late T. A. Knight, E.sq., of Downton Castle, though the
original projector is said to have been Mr. Wcdgowood -, and the plan could never have
been can-ied into effect without the strenuous co-operation of Sir Joseph Banks. The
first mooting of the society appears to have been lield on the 14th of March, 1804 ; and
on tho 30th of the s.ame montli the Earl of Dartmouth was elected president, and
Mr. Wodgcwood secretary. In 1808 a chai-tei- was granted to the society ; and Lord
Dartmouth dying in 1810, Mr. Knight was elected president ou the 1st of January
in the foEowing year, and he continued to hold that offlce till his death in 1838 ; when
his grace the Duke of Dcvonsliiro was elected pi-e.sidciit. For several years aftci-
tlic establishment of tho London Horticultural Society its meetings were held in
a room, where the papers were read in tho same maimer as at tho Linuoean and other
societies. About 1817, however, it was suggested that au experimental g.arden would be
very advantageous to the advancement of tho views of tho society ; and in 1818 a small
¡licce of ground was taken for th.at pui-pose at Kensington ; but this being found of too
limited an extent, another piece of ground of thirty-three acres was prooiu-cd at Chiswick,
and the present garden was fonncd in the year 1822. From that time the society has
advanced with astonisliing rapidity ; and a few years after its e.stahlishment tho council
dotci-miiied on giving medals to any persons who might suggest improvements in
hoi-ticiilture ; but as these medals were few and of a large size, it was soon determined
to distribute another class of medals, in addition to the first, of a smaller size ; and the
first of these smaller medals having been cast in 1819, soon after the death of Sir Joseph
Banks, it was stamped with a profile of Sir Joseph on the obverse side, and is still
called the Banksian modal. In 1835, another set of medals was cast, of an intcrinediate
size between the large medals, which bore a representation of Flora attended by the
four seasons, and tho small Banksian medals ; the intermediate ones being .stamped
with a profile of Mi-. Knight, and c.allcd tho Knightian medals. For several years aftcr
tho establishment of tho Ilorticnltural Society, the medals were given for plants exhibited
a t the rooms ; but as the establishment of the gardens at Chiswick had occasioned a
considerable expense to the society, and involved it in debt, the idea ivas suggested that
by holding the exhibitions of now plants at the gardens, .and admitting persons foi-
moiioy, a coiisidcrablo sum might bo raised beyond what was wanted to pay the expense
of the medals. This was the beginning of tho Ilorticnltural fetes, whicli h.avo continued
under various modifications ever since. The first/c íe w.as held on the 23d of July,
1827. Tlio gardens at Chiswick extend over about thirty-tlirce acres of gi-ound, and
■are divided into three parts, viz. the ai-boretum, wliich includes a lawn and pleasurc-
gi-omid ; tho orchard, containing a very extensive collection of fruit trees ; .and the
hothouse department. The hothouses and the ai-horctum are the only pai-ts of the
garden generally visited by the public; and in the latter a magnificent conservatory has
lately been erected on a portion of the laivn.
641. The garden o f the Iloyal Botanic Society in the Itcgent’s Park was commenced in
1840, the site being tho centre or ring of the Regent’s Park, and occupying tho whole
of the inner circle. Tho ground was foniici-ly known as Jenkins’s nursery ; but its
apparent extent has been so much increased by the skill shown in laying it out by Mr.
Marnock, the present curator, that it is scai-celypossible to suppose it contains only eighteen
acres. The large consen-atory (fig. 204.) was begun in 1845, and the centre part was
opened to the public on May 20tli, 1846. I t occupies about one fonrtli of tlic original
design, and encloses an area 175 foot in length, and 75 feet in brc.adth. “ I t consists of
a series of curvilinear sp.an-roofs, the centre one being 40 feet in licight, and 50 feet in
width, and the two others on each side of it being about 25 foct in height, and the same
in width. These are supported on rows of iron pillars, which arc tubular, for the
purpose of conducting rain water from the roof to cisterns to be made available foi-
watering the plants. The centre span h.as a semicircular cud, standing out about 25
feet from the front line of the buüding, forming the principal entrance, in which tho