SEPTEMBER. 285 



to him, and paid him frequent visits. Besides the above, the Exotic 

 Nursery was a great school for young men from the country to finish 

 oiT their professional education and prepare for higher duties. Mr. 

 Knight's connection with the higher classes made him looked up to on 

 both sides, and we believe we are quite correct when we say no one 

 was ever the means of placing so many gardeners in situations as Mr. 

 Knight, and a mutual confidence and respect for each other were thus 

 founded between Mr. Knight and a large body of practical men — 

 spread over nearly every part of the globe, which has ceased only with 

 his death. Mr. Knight was an ardent lover of plants, to which circum- 

 stance, and to his enterprising spirit, we owe many of the most beautiful 

 of our garden favourites. Among others, which he was mainly instru- 

 mental in introducing, we may note the tree Rhododendrons from 

 Nepal, a vast number of New Holland and Chinese plants, including 

 the lovely Chinese Azaleas, Lateritia, variegata, &c., and many others 

 too numerous to particularise. Mr. K. was as well especially fond of 

 coniferous plants. Since he relinquished business, two years ago, he 

 devoted much of his leisure time to improving the estates in the 

 county in which he had retired, and in planting exotic trees of recent 

 introduction. Mr. Knight was born in September, 1778, and began 

 his professional life as gardener to the then Duke of Bedford. He was 

 afterwards gardener to George Hibbert, Esq., of Clapham, to whose 

 considerate encouragement he attributed in a great measure the success 

 which attended his commencement in business as a nurseryman. Mr. 

 Knight connected himself in marriage with the ancient family of 

 Lorymer. Mrs. Knight died a few years ago without leaving a 

 family. Upright, persevering, of simple habits and unassuming 

 manners, Mr. Knight affords a pattern worthy of our imitation. His 

 application to business was rewarded by a large fortune, a considerable 

 portion of which was spent in deeds of charity and benevolence. A 

 Catholic by creed these acts show the earnestness of the principles he 

 professed, while his kindness of heart was shared in by all. J. S. 



Mrs. Lawrence, Ealing Park. — The death of this lady took 

 place very suddenly, on the 4th ult., at her usual residence at Ealing. 

 Mrs. Lawrence has for many years past been well known in the 

 horticultural world as a great patroness of gardening, including the 

 cultivation of specimen plants, and as such a stanch supporter of the 

 metropolitan exhibitions until last season, when her large collection was 

 brought to the hammer, a notice of which appeared in our pages at 

 the time. 



COLEUS BLUMEL 

 Now that variegated plants are in fashion we have them by the dozen. 

 This is, however, one of the best of them ; it has handsome brown 

 blotched leaves edged with pale green. It is a native of Java, and is 

 said to have been introduced from that island to Holland in 1851 by 

 Mr. WiHink, an amateur of Amsterdam. Dr. Planchon, the editor of 

 the Flore des Serres, remarks in his notice of it that "natural variation 



