8T 



consisting largely of veteran plants, whicli filled a small lean-to 

 house at the back of a cottage or bothy on the site of the present 



T-range. 



W. B. H 



Alexander Smith.— In connection with Alexander Smith 

 referred to in the above note it may be mentioned that he arranged 

 Sir W. Hooker's and his father's beginnings of a Museum of Eco- 

 nomic Botany between the years 1847 and 1856. In the latter year 

 he was appointed Curator of the Museum, but he resigned the 

 post in 1857 owing to ill health. He was appointed clerk in the 

 Herbarium in 1863, not curator as stated by Seeman (see Journ, 



Bot. 1865, pp. 199-200), 



W. B, II. 



Douglas Spar. — The following paragraph appeared in the 

 Kew Bulletin^ 1896, p. 97 : — 



''The great flagstaff in the Arboretum at Kew is one of the 

 most conspicuous landmarks of the neighbourhood. It is the 

 second of two spars which w^ere presented to the Royal Gardens 

 with great public spirit by Edward Stamp, Esq., oi tlie firm of 

 Messrs. Anderson, Anderson and Co. The first was from Britieh 

 Columbia, and was 118 ft. in length. It was broken in course 

 of erection in 1859. The existing spar came from Vancouver 

 Island, and is 159 ft. in length. It was erected in 1861, and 

 is believed to be the tallest spar in the old world. The age of 

 the tree from which it was cut was about 250 years, and its total 

 height 180 ft. The base had gradually become decayed, and 

 on examination it was pronounced by the Admiralty to be unsafe. 

 Messrs. Anderson, Anderson and Co. w^ere, however^ of opinion 

 that it might still be preserved, and on their recommendation 

 the work was placed by H.M. Office of Works in the hands of 

 Messrs. Robinson and Dodd, contractors to H.M. Indian Govern- 

 ment, of Bridge Road Work«, Poplar. They successfully 

 lowered it^ removed the decayed base^ and spliced on a new one 

 of pitch pine. The splice is held together by five iron bands. 



The spar was then re-erected on February 4th last. 



■ty 



been added to the '' life '' of the sj^ar. But this estimate has not 



been justified by experience. . 



It has been the rule to overhaul, scrape, varnish and do any 

 minor repairs necessary to the spar and rigging at intervals of 

 two years. When this was done in May last, it was discovered 

 that '^ dry rot" had attacked the lower end of the new pitch- 

 pine butt, and that *^wet rot" had made considerable inroads 

 in the splice of the old spar to the new butt. It w^as therefore 

 decided to take it down so that a careful examination could be 

 made of the whole spar, anA any necessary repairs could be made. 



The spar was successfully lowered in November last. From 

 thft plnser ftxamination which it was then possible io make, ample 



(t J X 99 



justification was found for taking it down.^ The ''dry rot 

 affecting the butt had evidently commenced in the sleeper plate 

 on which the spar stood, and spread up the new butt to a height 



