Cultivation of Botany in England. 357 



noble hospital at Norwich; after which we quitted this romantic 

 and prettily situated city, and proceeded by way of Newmarket 

 to Cambridge. The coach, like all those which carry the mail 

 in England, went at too rapid a rate, and the day closed too 

 early, to allow of our making many observations on the Flora 

 of the somewhat barren country which lies between Norwich 

 and Newmai'ket, We only noticed, from the road, some beau- 

 tiful country seats, and a plantation oi Pinus sylvestris, which, 

 like the other tribes of fir, is a rarity on the plains of England, 

 not being a native of this country. 



We hired a postchaise from Newmarket to Cambridge, which 

 is situated in a rather bleak neighbourhood. I shall describe 

 the University in some other place, and only give a few words 

 to the Botanic Garden, which, as far as such an establishment 

 can be known by a Catalogue, is already known on the con- 

 tinent by the third edition which the deceased Donn and Pursb, 

 together with Mr. Lindley, published in 1 823. 1 had hoped 

 here to meet my late friend Dr. E. D. Clarke, Professor of 

 Mineralogy, who once spent an evening with me at Landshut, 

 on his return from Egypt, and had invited me in return to see 

 him and his garden at Cambridge. He knew not that he was 

 asking me to come and see his effigy, when he gave me the 

 invitation ; — the marble bust which the University has placed 

 to his honour in the library, is all that was left of my friend. 

 I was told that Dr. Clarke's death was occasioned by the ir- 

 ritation that an insect gave rise to, and which was drawn into 

 his nostril by smelling of a flower. 



The garden at Cambridge contains about five acres of very 

 bad ground, and there are from five to six thousand species of 

 plants, the greater part of them cultivated in beds. It does 

 not present so pleasing an appearance as the Dutch botanic 

 gardens, but is, however, kept very neat, and is well arranged. 

 The founder of this institution was the great Dr. R.Walker, 

 Vice-master of Trinity College, who purchased the ground for 

 1600/. Bradley, the earliest botanist who paid exclusive at- 

 tention to the succulent plants, was the first Professor of Botany 

 at Cambridge, whom the celebrated Sherard recommended to 

 the University. There were no lectures given here on botany 

 till the year 1 724 ; so that this eminent university is far behind 

 many of those in Germany in this respect, which long before 

 that period had supported botanical professors and gardens. 

 Bradley ceased to give lectures six years before his death, when 

 Sherard, and the great ])hysician to the royal household Sloane, 

 reconunended John Martyn to the situation. Slill, in the year 

 17.'H', Martyn disccjntinued his lectures, as there was no Im)- 

 tanic garden, and he met wilh no support. " Botany i>lej)t," 



as 



