THE society's HERITAGE FROM THE MACLEAYS. 635 



Busk's hope was not realised. The memorials of W. S. Macleay, which George 

 Macleay left with William, comprise nothing: at all in the shape of original 

 observations or publishable matter, nor do they include Dr. Stuart's notes. 



After his arrival in England, George Macleay purchased a beautiful house 

 and grounds, known as Pendell Court, at Bletchingly, Surrey, which became his 

 home for the rest of his life. An illustrated account of Pendell Court, and of 

 the garden, tropical house, fernery, stoves, orchid-houses, and aquaria, signed F. 

 "W. H., appeared in "The Garden," for February 5th, 1881, as one of a series 

 of articles on "Country Seats and Gardens of Great Britain." Mr. Maiden has 

 kindly given me the copy of this article, which is exhibited to-night. This will 

 be added to the other mementos of George Macleay. 



Sir George Macleay died, without issue, at Mentone on June 26th, 1891, in his 

 82nd year, about six months before his cousin William. His first wife died at 

 Pendell Court in 1869. His second wife, a Tasmanian lady, died in England, as 

 recently as 1919. 



Mi-s. Forde, who was good enough to let me have the portrait of Sir George 

 Macleay. which has been hung in the Society's Hall for some years now, told me 

 that she corresponded with him almost up to the last. And she added, that he 

 was always her good and kind friend . 



Before leaving for England in 1859, or while on his visit to Sydney between 

 the years 1870 and 1874, George Macleay disposed of his property at Brownlow 

 Hill to Mr. F. W. Downes, and it has been in possession of the family ever since. 

 Mr. Downes, to whose memory there is a cenotaph in the old Church at Cobbity, 

 died in 1917. By the kind pemiission of Mi-s. Downes — to whom, and to her 

 son, for his kindly guidance, I desire to record our cordial thanks — my friend and 

 fellow-member, Mr. Charles W. Smith, and I were able to visit Brownlow Hill 

 last December. Having a knowledge of Sir William Denison's and James Back- 

 house's descriptions of George Madeay's old home, and a somewhat faded photo- 

 graph among the relics of W. S. Macleay, probably taken sixty or seventy years 

 ago, we had no difficulty in realising where we were, or the interest of what we 

 had come to see. Unfortunately it began to rain just as we arrived, which pre- 

 vented a closer inspection of the interesting plants and trees in the garden . Allow- 

 ing for the lapse of time, and for the fact that the maintenance of an extensive 

 garden is a much more expensive hobby now than it used to be in the good old 

 days, the old home and the garden have been consistently kept up, and are mucli 

 as they used to be. The "genteel cottage," as Mr. Backhouse regarded it in 1836, 

 was possibly enlarged about the time of George Macleay's marriage to Miss Bar- 

 bara Innes in 1842, and may have been added to since. A mute but eloquent 

 historic link with the past is the old sundial in the upper garden, close to the 

 house, probably a gift from some friend. On the four corners of the dial are 

 engraved ths words — "George Macleay Esq. — Brownlow Hill — near Camden — 

 New South Wales." In the centre, below the gnomon is the date, "1836." And 

 below this again — "anno eoloniae xlviii." 



The date recalls the fact, that 1836 was the year in which James Backhouse 

 and his colleagues spent three days at Brownlow HiU, with George and James 

 Macleay, visiting Camden Park twice during their stay. Under date October 21st, 

 Mr . Backhouse records — "I walked into the forest by moonlight, along with George 

 McLeay, to see the Opossums." 



(To be covcluded, with Illustratio^is, in the next Part of the Proceedings.) 



