132 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 



PHILIP MILLER'S PLANTS. 

 By James Britten, F.L.S. 



The general though late recognition — due in great measure 

 to the attention which has been called to it in this Journal — 

 of the eighth edition (1768) of Miller's Gardeners Dictionary 

 as a starting-point for species, has naturally been followed by 

 a similar interest in the plants of his herbarium which represent 

 such species. It is generally known that this herbarium was 

 purchased by Banks and was incorporated in his own, which 

 forms the basis of the National Herbarium ; but the specimens 

 from Miller are not always readily distinguishable and their 

 significance may easily be overlooked. This difficulty is in 

 process of being removed, as a printed label has been prepared 

 which is being attached to the sheets of Miller's plants ; it may 

 however be worth while to bring together such information as 

 throws light upon its general contents. 



Philip Miller was appointed to the Chelsea Garden in 1722 — 

 the year in which it was conveyed by Sir Hans Sloane, who 

 recommended his appointment, to the Apothecaries Company — 

 and remained there until 1770, the year preceding his death. 

 This is not the occasion to refer to his work in connection with 

 horticulture, but his "extensive correspondence with persons in 

 distant parts of the globe " added greatly to botanical knowledge ; 

 Pulteney, from whom this remark is quoted, says : " From the 

 Cape of Good Hope, from Siberia, from North America, and 

 particularly, by means of Dr. William Houstoun, from the West 

 Indies, his garden, for a long series of years, received a plentiful 

 and perpetual supply of rare and frequently of new species, which 

 his successful culture seldom failed to preserve. It was the 

 remark of foreigners that Chelsea exhibited the treasures of 

 both the Indies" {Sketches, ii. 246). Houstoun (1695-1733) 

 was the most important of Miller's correspondents, and at his 

 death bequeathed to him " all his papers, drawings, and collection 

 of dried plants;"" the plants were incorporated with Miller's 

 herbarium, and are, with the MSS. and drawings, in the National 

 Herbarium (see Journ. Bot. 1897, 225). It was through Miller 

 that Linnaeus became acquainted with Houstoun's plants ; in the 

 account of his own herbarium he writes : " Miller, of Chelsea, 

 permitted me to collect many in the Garden, and gave me 

 several dried specimens collected by Houstoun." t 



Miller's herbarium was acquired by Banks about three years 

 after his death; Solander, writing to Ellis on Dec. 21, 1774, says: 

 " Mr. Banks has bought Miller's herbarium, and we have been 

 busy these two weeks in getting it home and into some order. 

 As there are a great many of Houstoun's plants from Vera Cruz, 

 &c, I think it a valuable acquisition " (Smith, Linn. Corr. ii. 22). 



' Miller, Figures of Plants, i. 30 (1755). 

 t Pulteney, General View, ed. Maton, 575. 



