LIKIfEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON. 53 



In tlie year 1737, in August, the 'Magnolia flora ingenti 

 candido' was blooming iu the gardeu of Mr. Charles Wager at 

 Parsons Green, near Fulham. I went there nearly every day 

 from Chelsea to Parsons Green, whicii is about 3 miles distant, 

 to observe tbe plant from its first bud and what might come 

 (theie were no more) till the flower was quite complete. I drew 

 every individual part of it in order to publish a perfect botauical 

 plate ; and I was the first to observe the characters of it minutely, 

 and my valued patron. Dr. Trew, liaa made me through this not a 

 little kuown ia the Commercia Litteraria. I sent some of these 

 plates, through the late Herr Beurer, who was then returning, to 

 M. Bernhard de Jussieu ia Paris, who auswered me in this 

 letter : — 



" MONSIEFE, 



" Je voudrais bien pouvoir vous temoijjner combien je suis 

 sensible aux attentions que vous avez eu jusqu'icy, de me faire part 

 de dessins des plantes nouvelles et autres qui fleurissent rare- 

 meiit chez vous. 11 ne me manque que les occasious de vous en 

 marquer ma reconnoissance. J'ai regu la plauche du Magnolia. 

 Celte plante est tres bien representee et j'y ay reconuu uue 

 exactitude surprenante dans toutes les parties qui composent cette 

 magnifique fleur. Je souhaiterais fort vous estre utile et pouvoir 

 vous procurer des moyens plus avantageux de satisfaire vostre 

 gout ; je tacherois pour lors de vous persuader de ma reconuois- 

 sance et des sentimeuts d'estime avec lequel je suis 



" A'^ostre tres humble et tres obeissaut serviteur, 



"B. i)E Jussieu.'" 

 "A Paris le 26 juillet, 1738." 



It happened that when this plate w^as finished, I went to 

 Lord Petre's garden to find something new. This gentleman 

 was building the largest glass-houses in England, if not in the 

 world. (See my Tab. 3, the large house for the Papaya, which 

 stands quite free therein.) His property lies 15 miles from 

 London [at Brentwood], close by the great road whicii goes from 

 Loudon to Harwich, where all tbe foreigners from Holland and 

 London cross the sea. I remained there some days, and collected 

 many rare specimens ; and on my return to London 1 left them at 

 an iuu near Lord Petre's garden, to be sent on by the first coach 

 to London. 



As the Harwich coach was the first to pass, my rare speci- 

 mens wei'e put on to tbat, and 1 awaited them the same evening 

 in London at a large inn in Gracechurch Street. When the 

 coach came, 1 asked for my packet and received it. Meanwhile 

 two Germans descended from the coach and consulted what they 

 sliould do for a lodging; no one understood them. 1 listened to 

 all this, and resolving to help them, 1 went round to look at their 

 faces. 1 at once fancied that 1 knew one of them, and thought 

 to myself, he is exactly like Herr Beurer; so I asked him at once 

 iu these words, "Are you not Herr Beurer? " He said at once, 



