411 



XLIII.— MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 



Mr. J. R. BovELL.— We learn that Mr. J. 11. liovell, I.S.O., 

 F.L.S., lias resigned tlio Superintendontship of the Barbados 

 Department of Agriculture, and has accepted the position of 



i\gricultural Superintendent of important sugar estates In IJriti.sli 

 Guiana. 



Mr. Cykil 'VYahren, lately a member of the gardening staff of 

 the Eoyal Botanic Gardens, has been appointed by the Secretary 

 of State for the Colonies, on the recommendation of liew, a 

 Curator in the Agricultural Department of the Southern 

 Provinces of Nigeria. 



The Pagoda, Royal Gardens, Kew. — The Pagoda was built in 



1761-2 to the design of Sir W. Chambers. As originally built, 

 the main roof with the ornamental chains and boops to the ter- 

 minal pole were of copper, double gilded. The minor roofs 

 were covered with highly-coloured iron plates, and ornamental 

 dragons crouched at the hip terminals of the roofs. The dragons 

 were in wood, and treated with highly-coloured enamels. These 

 features existed up to about 1820. But the iron cover plates of 

 minor roofs and the wooden dragons must have perished and been 

 removed soon after, when the roofs were slated. 



The severely straight lines of these roofs — now shorn of dragons 

 and Eastern colour — was much lamented, and in 1845, when " an 

 expensive scaffold had been erected round the Pagoda tp paint the 

 wood, etc., point the brickwork, and erect a new terminal pole," 

 Sir W. J. Hooker suggested that it was a fitting opportunity to 

 restore the original features of the Pagoda by fixing new '* metal 

 or glass " dragons to the angles of the roofs. This was sup-ported 

 by Mr. Decimus Burton, who, however, wished to improve on the 

 original design. His sketch of the proposed alterations is still to 



be seen in No. 3 Museum. He suggested that in addition to 

 restoring the dragons, the eaves should be curved up at the 

 angles, and the roofs covered with copper, and that both roofs and 

 brickwork should be painted to harmonise better with a Chinese 

 structure. Projecting bells were to be hung at the hip terminals, 

 and chains were to hang from the terminal pole to the eaves of 

 main roof But the estimated cost of £3,500 for these alterations 

 made their execution impossible. Sir W. J. Hooker's suggestion 

 to replace the dragons, and so restore the Pagoda to the original 

 design was estimated to cost £850, and proved also too costly for 



acceptance, , . . ^^-o 



Nothing daunted, he returned to the charge in 18o6, renew ng 



his suggestion of 1845 for the restoration of the dragons, etc., 



but ihej were again ''postponed for another year, and so the 



Pagoda remains to this day. i ^ „ ,%. 



On the occasion of executing the periodic painting and repairs 



at the Pagoda this summer-1915-iuyestigation was made to 



discover the cause of so much rain coming through the roof and 



ceiling. 



