74 



1 



their increase j and I am told^ that not a year passes without the 

 establishment of some new institjition of this kind. On the way to 

 Hammersmith to see Kennedy and Lee's Nursery, we met the pro- 

 prietprs of two others. Gray and Sons, and Malcolm and Co. at 



Kensington. The house of Lee and Kennedy, so well known with 



us on the continent, has lately experienced great changes. Mr. Kent 

 nedy has withdrawn from the cj:)ncern, and is gone to Amiens in 



r 



^fance; and the old Lee died about two months ago. At present, 

 the sons carry on the management of this large nursery, which they 

 themselves say contains one hundred acres, and rgquires the labour 



r 



pf from one hundred and fifty to two hundred workmen. Although 

 this estimate seems to me enormously large, yet thus much is cer- 



m 



an extensive trade both at home and abroad. The more commoii 

 kinds of plants seem to be chiefly cultivated here ;" although there 

 are three hundred specie.s^of Ericjri, .an4 |i9,lf of every day is allotted 

 to the management of Camellias. The stoves are of the usual kind ; 

 there is no pond for the convenient watering of the plants ; nor have 

 the proprietors published a new Catalogue. , ' 



-, Mf. Colville, on the road to Chelsea, certainly has the rarer kinds 

 of plants in his collection. Messrs. Mackay and Co., Fraser, &c* 

 have also gardens in this neighbourhood. We here became ac- 



quainted with M 

 Hortus Suburbauh 



Gerania and 

 Many unknown and rare ,ve 



ito great 



getables from all parts of the world, particularly Nepaul, New Hoi- 

 land, and New Zealand, and the tolerably well explored Cape Qf 

 Good Hope, exist in Mr. Colville's Nursery : but the esteLblishmenJ 

 of this kind, which belongs to Mr. Conrad Loddiges, appeared to «« 

 the largest and finest in England. It would be hard to say whethet 



extent, the beautiful productions with which it is. stocked, 

 Qv the judgement, taste, and liberality with which it is Conducted; are 



^thy of admiration. With regard to the latter point, v^^ 

 will venture to say, that much as we have travelled and seen, we 

 ^lave met with no stoves, belonging to prince, king, or emp^r^^' 

 which can compare with those of Messrs. lioddiges, at Hackney, i^r 

 the magnificence, convenience and elegance qf their plan, and tue 

 value of their contents.- Let my reader Imagine n dome, eig"v 



most 



