SOME BOTANIC GABDEXS ABROAD. 59 



The name of the garden has been changed several times. 

 In the year One of Meji (1868), it was called the Oyakiiyen or 

 The Medical Plant Garden, and was then connected with the 

 hospital of the university, and under the immediate control of 

 the Tokyo prefecture. The following year it \\as taken over by 

 the university and its name was changed to Igakkoyakuyen or 

 The Medical School Garden. In 1871 it became connected with 

 the Educational Department, and again, the next year, the mu- 

 seum and garden were formed into a corporation, which, how- 

 ever, soon was dissolved. In the year 8 of Meji, or 1875, the 

 garden was first called Koishikawa, or Botanic Garden, 



In 1S76 it was again united to the Tokyo university, being 

 then attached to the College of Science. 



On the site where the garden now stands the Shogun Ilide- 

 tada (Tokugawa the Second) built the Ilakusangoten or White 

 ]\rountain Palace in the beginning of the seventeenth century. 

 During the reign of the next shogun this building was taken 

 away, however, and the grounds wore granted to the feudal lords, 

 or knights. The dark grove of Cryptomeria, the background of 

 tall firs, and the beautiful evergreen oaks near the entrance to the 

 Botanic Gardens remind one of the former residence of the feu- 

 dal lords. From the name Ilakusangoten of the Shogun's palace 

 there are still remnants in the form of Gotenzaka, the name of 

 the path leading up the slope at the east end of the garden, and 

 the entire neighborhood is still known as Hakusangotencho. 



Altogether over three thousand species of plants, native and 

 foreign, are cultivated in the garden. In the main division of 

 the garden the plants are arranged according to Engler and 

 Pranlt's classification. In another division there is a collection 

 of medicinal plants ; in yet another rare plants kept in pots. One 

 division contains a great number of different garden plants ; an- 

 other is an arboretum of exotic trees. There is an arboretum of 

 evergreens, another consisting of coniferous trees. Here I no- 

 ticed a giant Giiigl'o hilohd. said to bo 2(>0 years old, and fine 

 specimens of Sciadopitys revticiUaid. Being especially inter- 

 ested in the Sapiuws T greatly admired a large S. sebiferiim 



