BOOK-NOTES, NEWS, ETC. 11 9 



BOOK-NOTES, NEWS, dx. 



Canon Henry Nicholson Ellacombe, whose death at the 

 age of 94 took place on February 7th, was born at Bitton, 

 Gloucestershire (near Bristol), on February 18th, 1822, and 

 passed most of his life in that place ; he became rector in 1850, 

 in succession to his father, who had held the living for fifteen 

 years and from whom he inherited his love of gardening. Sir 

 Joseph Hooker, in his dedication of vol. cvii of the Botanical 

 Magazine, veiev^ to the "intelligent interest and zeal" of both 

 father and son in introducing and cultivating " interesting rare 

 and beautiful hardy plants." His garden, which he was always 

 delighted to show to visitors, had been for a long period familiar 

 to the horticultural world : of this he gave a charming account in 

 the Guardian for 1900-1903, which was subsequently reprinted as 

 a volume— J« a Gloucestershire Garden. His best known work — 

 The Plant-lore and Garden-craft of Shakespeare, first published 

 at Exeter in 1878 and subsequently in London in 1884 — had also 

 appeared previously in serial form in the Garden : this is an 

 excellent book, full of information concerning plants, their 

 history, associations and names, on which last he published at 

 Bath a small volume in 1870. Although he always refused to be 

 regarded as a botanist, he had far more claim to that title — at any 

 rate according to the Squeers definition — than many on whom it is 

 conferred, for with regard to plants it might truly be said, " he 

 goes and knows 'em." A charming companion and a delightful 

 correspondent. Canon Ellacombe will be missed not only by folk 

 who knew him personally but by those who had the privilege of 

 receiving his letters. An appreciative notice by Mr. H. J. Elwes, 

 accompanied by a portrait, appears in the Gardeners' Chronicle for 

 February 19th. 



At the meeting of the Linnean Society on February 17th, 

 the first communication was by Miss Carlotta Herring-Browne, 

 entitled "John Bartram : the Pioneer American Botanist." 

 Bartram was born on March 23rd, 1699, near Darby in County 

 Delaware, Pennsylvania. His old stone farmhouse was built in 

 1731, soon after his thoughts by a chance occurrence during his 

 labours had been turned to the structure of flowers. It was in 

 the same year that his friend James Logan procured a copy of 

 Parkinson's Theatrum from England as a present for Bartram, 

 and this decided him to make excursions after plants into Mary- 

 land and Delaware. Of strong and untiring frame, neither danger 

 nor difficulty kept him back. To receive and grow his discoveries 

 he began before the end of the year to lay out the garden, the 

 charm of which was felt by Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin. 

 Three years later, at Franklin's suggestion, Bartram sent his 

 diaries to Peter Collinson, in London, who, as a member of the 

 Society of Friends, had connections with Pennsylvania. This 

 correspondence, to the mutual benefit of both, lasted till the death 

 of the elder man in 1769. Through Collinson he became known 

 to Linnaeus, Gronovius, Dillenius, Sir Hans Sloane, Dr. Solander, 



