186 OBSERVATIONS ON KEW BOTANIC GARDEN. 



missioners of Her Majesty's Woods, &c, the objection is not only 

 removed, but the plan becomes, upon the whole, the least objection- 

 able of any, and in that case such a system as the following might be 

 adopted : — 



1. To secure at least two specimens for the garden. 



2. To supply Her Majesty's gardens. 



3. To sell by auction annually all disposable duplicates. It is of 

 course impossible to say what income would be derived from this, 

 but the value of the plants would much depend upon the opinion the 

 public might entertain of the chief officer of the garden, whose busi- 

 ness it would be to determine the names of the plants to be sold. 

 [This would be injurious in proportion to extent to nurserymen and 

 florists, and would be a disgrace to the establishment. — Conductor.] 



4. To propagate nothing except what is wanted for Government 

 purposes, and so far as the raising new plants from seeds can be 

 called propagation. 



In addition to this there should be vested in the chief officer of the 

 Garden a power of making exchanges with private individuals in this 

 country at any time, and also with foreign gardens, after the wants 

 of the British public are satisfied. 



If Parliament were to grant a sum for rendering Kew a great 

 national garden, Her Majesty's Commissioners of Woods, &c, would 

 be relieved from a considerable annual burden ; for it appears that 

 since the year 1834 inclusive, the cost of repairs, &c, has been as 

 follows : — 



1834 



1835 



£ 7,941 13 



and the charge of ordinary repairs is not at all likely to be diminished 

 under any arrangement, except that of entire renovation. 



As there is no necessity for effecting alterations in this Botanical 

 Garden otherwise than gradually, no sudden burthen need be thrown 

 upon the public on that account. 



