OBSERVATIONS ON KEW BOTANIC GARDEN. 165 



that the principal expense of such trees is defrayed by the Board of 

 Works. It is well known that a great desire is felt in the Colonies 

 to procure plants from this country ; it is equally well known that 

 applications to other gardens for such assistance are extremely com- 

 mon ; it is therefore singular that what happens so frequently else- 

 where should so seldom happen in the Botanical Garden of Kew. 



Visitors are unreservedly admitted to the garden daily, except on 

 Sundays, and Mr. Aiton deserves credit for having exercised his 

 power, as director-general, in order to secure this privilege to the 

 public. [In no garden round the metropolis have we found equal 

 attention to accommodate the visitors, and give whatever information 

 is possessed, by Mr. Smith, or those acting under him. — Conductor.] 



A supposed difficulty in obtaining from this garden any of the 

 duplicate plants to be given away, has been the subject of a great 

 deal of public discussion for many years ; and attention having been 

 called to it by the Committee, very particular inquiries have been 

 made into the truth of the common opinion. Mr. Aiton states that 

 in this matter he has acted upon his own judgment, and by virtue of 

 his authority as director-general of the royal gardens ; that he has 

 always considered the Botanical Garden a private establishment; 

 that the only rule which he has observed in giving away duplicates 

 has been, to assist those who were likely to aid the garden in return ; 

 and that, in his opinion, it is desirable that the garden should be 

 conducted upon the most liberal plan, consistent with the safety of the 

 collections. 



Undoubtedly it has been in one sense a private garden of the crown, 

 inasmuch as its ordinary charges have been defrayed by the Lord 

 Steward's department ; but, on the other hand, as all the large expenses 

 for foreign collectors having been for many years paid by the Trea- 

 sury or Admiralty, it must be considered, to a certain extent, a public 

 garden also. 



Upon examining the book of deliveries before alluded to, and of 

 which the abstract is appended to this Report, it appears that, in the 

 course of the last 32 years, there have been 28 deliveries to the British 

 Colonics, or to persons residing in the foreign settlements belonging 

 to the British Crown ; 36 to various branches of the Royal Family ; 

 21 to specific institutions in this country ; 221 to private individuals 

 in this country ; and 111 to foreigners; in all 483, or about 15 a year. 



