28 
and clearness. . . . Every young botanist should go through 
a course of reading these miscellaneous works.’’ So wrote Sir 
Joseph Hooker to Sir Francis Darwin in 1888. 
The gift of this letter resulted from our correspondence with 
Mr. James Cummings, Town Clerk of Montrose, Forfarshire, 
Scotland. This town is the birthplace of Robert Brown and 
possesses a bust of the famous botanist. Through Mr. Cummings 
we obtained photographs of the bust to assist Mr. Schmitz, the 
sculptor of our bust. As a result of our inquiry concerning the 
possibility of securing a letter, Mr. Cummings corresponded with 
the Right Hon. Lady Lyell, of London, of the family of the great 
English geologist, Sir Charles Lyell, and through her good offices 
the letter was presented to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden by its 
owners, Lord Lyell and Hon. Lady Langman, son and sister-in- 
law, respectively, of Lady Lyell. Its scientific interest and value 
are greatly increased by the fact that it was addressed to Sir 
Charles Lyell, one of the founders of modern geology. 
PLANTATIONS AND (GROUNDS 
Flatbush-Brooklyn Patent Line 
The original southern boundary of the Brooklyn Botanic 
Garden, was described in the Agreement of December 28, 1909, 
between the City of New York and the Trustees of the Brooklyn 
Institute of Arts and Sciences. This line coincided with the 
‘patent line”’ or boundary between the old Township of Flatbush 
and the old City of Brooklyn. In 1909 the line was clearly indi- 
cated by an iron fence. When the so-called ‘South Addition,” 
of about eight acres, was added to the Garden by the Amended 
Agreement of August 17, 1914, the southern boundary of the 
Garden was moved south to coincide with the northerly line of 
Malbone St., now Empire Boulevard. By the removal of the 
fence along the first boundary all indication of the Flatbush- 
Brooklyn Patent Line was obliterated within the Garden. 
It seemed a matter of interest that this line should be clearly 
and permanently marked and, since the year 1934 is the centen- 
nial year of the incorporation of Brooklyn as a city, this seemed to 
be a logical time to do it. The line has been marked by a brass 
strip extending across the north-south paved walk on the west 
