6 THE GLORY OF THE GARDEN 



was seriously hampered by the expenses involved 

 in this work, and they decided to relieve the strain 

 by working the garden more economically. The 

 lectures were discontinued, the office of Praefectus 

 Horti was abolished, and the cultivation of plants 

 requiring artificial heat was abandoned. The 

 garden was saved from total oblivion during this 

 period by its curator, Thomas Moore, who had 

 been elected to the post in 1848, on the recom- 

 mendation of Lindley. Thomas Moore was co-editor 

 of " The Treasury of Botany " with Lindley, a 

 work which has made the name of the Chelsea 

 garden famous throughout the world. 



The role of the garden is still chiefly an educa- 

 tional one; specimens of living plants are supplied 

 to a number of colleges and schools, and the labora- 

 tory is used for physiological work by the students 

 of the Royal College of Science. 



l^he present Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew are the 

 result of the fusion of two Royal domains — (i) Rich- 

 mond Gardens, and (2) the original Kew Gardens, 

 the latter corresponding roughly to the private 

 grounds of Kew House, a substantial private house, 

 which was demolished in 1803. This fusion, con- 

 templated by an Act of Parliament, and giving 

 George HL power to cause the lane separating the 

 two gardens " to be shut up and discontinued," was 

 finally completed in 1802. 



In 1823, George IV. acquired the western portion 

 of Kew Green, including an old road which led 

 there from Brentford Ferry. By this means part 

 of the present herbarium, and the whole of its 

 site, the old Kew Gardens, the former Richmond 

 Gardens, became a single Royal domain; and this 



