BOTANICAL INVESTIGATION IN MIDDLESEX. 393 



of Botany at Cambridge in 1761, and died in 1825, at the advanced age of 

 eighty-nine. He performed a very useful work in editing the ninth edition 

 of Miller's Gardener^ s Dictionary, which is a treasury of information on 

 botanical matters.* 



Sir T. Gr. Cullum, Bart., commenced an English Flora on the Linngean 

 system in 1774. It was discontinued, after 104 pages were printed, on the 

 appearance of the second edition of Hudson's book. In this, as well as in 

 James Jenkinson's Generic and Specific Description of British Plants, 1775 

 (which excludes all trees and the grasses), and in Stephen Eobson's British 

 Flora, 1777, we have found a few notes on Middlesex plants. 



William CuRTiS;t to whom London botanists are especially indebted, 

 was the eldest son of a Quaker, a tanner by trade, and was born at Alton, 

 Hampshire, in 1746 ; there were three other sons and two daughters. His 

 education was carried on at the small village of HoUybourn, and must have 

 been of a very elementary character. As a boy he was fond of natural 

 history, and made a great friend of an ostler named John Legg (or 

 Lagg), who was well acquainted with indigenous plants. 



At the age of fourteen, his grandfather, who was a thriving chemist and 

 druggist at Alton, took him, intending to bring him up to his own trade. 

 After six years, Curtis was sent to London, in 1766, and was at first with 

 Mr, Greorge Vaux of Pudding Lane, but soon left him and became assistant 

 to Thomas Talwin, of 51 Gracechurch Street. All these well-meaning 

 persons endeavoured to turn Curtis from his botanical pursuits, which they 

 considered to be ruining his prospects. The latter partly succeeded, and 

 Curtis attended the lectures of a medical school. 



Medicine and practical pharmacy were, however, uncongenial subjects, 

 and thoiigh followed from a sense of duty, Curtis's inclinations were ever 

 towards botanical studies. On the death of Mr. Talwin, Curtis succeeded 

 to the whole business, but soon gave up part, and ultimately the whole, of 

 it to Mr. Wavell.J 



On December 15, 1772, Curtis was elected Demonstrator of Plants and 

 Prsefectus Horti to the Apothecaries Society, succeeding Mr. Stanesby 

 Alchorne. He proposed to the society to deliver lectures on Botany at 

 Apothecaries Hall, but the plan was not approved of; on August 27, 1777, 

 he resigned his appointment. 



After the relinquishment of his practice, Curtis set up a small garden in 

 Grange Eoad, Bei'mondsey, where he cultivated many plants ; though this 



* See Gorham's Memoirs of John and Thomas Martyn, 1830, for furtlier particulars. 



t We have obtained our information about Curtis from the following sources : — 

 Gentleman's Magazine for 1799, p. 628 ; Rees' Cyclopcedia ; Sketch of the Life and 

 Writings of the late Mr. Wm, Curtis, by Dr. Thornton (in third vol. of Curtiss 

 Lectures), 1805 ; Memoirs of the Life and Writings of the late Mr. Wm. Curtis (prefixed 

 to the General Indexes to the first series of the Botanical Magazine), by Samuel Curtis. 

 1828. 



t This gentleman had considerable taste for botany, and was accustomed to accom- 

 pany Curtis in his herbalising excursions ; he married a wealthy connection, and left 

 London for Edinburgh, where he took a medical diploma, and afterwards set up as a 

 physician at Barnstaple. 



