being very fond of the early works in botany and gardening he 
often did her a service by presenting a book, or putting her in the 
way of procuring it. Among his gifts was a fine copy of the rare 
"Prodr.mii Fasciculi Parionim Plantarum, ^c.." of .1." Breyn, 1739, 
containing the book-plate of a former owner, Robert James, Lord 
Petre, who had a notable garden at Thorndon in Essex, under the 
supervision of the celebrated Philip Miller. He also presented 
a considerable collection of wrappers of early numbers of the 
"Botanical Magazine," which bear many announcements and 
aenta of great historical interest. Burbidge not only 
collected old books, but he read them, and was full of information, 
which he imparted to others in such a pleasant modest way that 
one was never tired of listening ; and he had none but friends, 
because he rarely uttered a disparaging word of another. 
0. T. HBMSLEY.— In the Annual Report on the Government 
Agri-Horticultural Gardens, Lahore, for the financial year V.HKt-t), 
the President, addressing the Government of the Panjab, wrote:— 
u The gardens have sustained a great loss in the sad and untimely 
death of Mr. Hemsley, the late Superintendent, who succumbed 
on January Gth, after a short illness, to a malignant attack of 
small-pox. His energy and devotion to his duties have been 
acknowledged in previous reports. His work in 1905 was again 
deserving of all praise." 
In reviewing this report the Chief Secretary to the Government 
of the Panjab wrote :— " The Lieutenant-Governor takes the 
opportunity of recording his regret at the death of Mr. Hemsley, 
to whose labours the improvement of the gardens has been so 
largely due." 
Oliver Tietjens Hemsley, the only son of Mr. W. B. Hemsley, 
F.R.S., Keeper of the Herbarium at Kew, was born at Richmond, 
Storey, on February 6, L876, so that at the time of his death he had 
not yet entered his thirtieth year. He was educated at Dr. White's 
School, Turnham Green, and at King's College School, London. 
In 1893, when 17 years of age, he entered the Royal Gardens. In 
the Garden Lectures he took a distinguished place. 
In 1898 young Hemsley went to India, and on his arrival was 
posted to the Cinchona Department in British Sikkim where, with 
the exception of a short period during which he acted as Curator 
of the Lloyd Botanic Garden, Darjeeling, he served as an 
Assistant till 1903. His duties in the Cinchona Department lay 
both in the factory and on the plantation. His inclinations. 
however, were more towards horticulture than planting, and in 
1902 he expressed a desire to be transferred to a post in the 
plains, there to make himself more familiar with Indian gardening 
conditions than was possible in the comparatively 
J it which cinchona is grown, and so to qualify for 
t promotion. 
. vacancy occurring in the Roval Botanic Gardens, Calcutta, he 
was appointed Assistant Curator there in 1903. He had hardly 
taken up his duties in this capacity when an opportunity was 
given him of facing a difficult task. An Imperial Durbar was to 
be held that winter at Delhi, and the sites of the various sections 
