124 



annum, and a Page of the Back Stairs to Queen Mary. He 

 had the care of conveying Princess Anne, to Nottingham from 

 the fury of the Papists previous to the Revolution being com- 

 pleted — He was in conjunction with Mr. Wise, Director of 

 nearly all the Gardens and Parks of note in the Kingdom. 

 Soon after the Peace of Ryswick. he accompanied the Earl of 

 Portland, Ambassador Extraordinary to King William, into 

 France — At this time (April 1698) he made the Observations 

 on the Fruit Gardens of Versailles, which are in the Preface to 

 the Abridgement of M. Quintinie's Work, which he, in con- 

 junction with Mr. Wise, translated. On the death of King 

 William, Mr. Wise being appointed to the care of the Royal 

 Gardens by Queen Anne, Mr. London chiefly devoted himself, 

 to his country business, visiting once or twice a year most of the 

 considerable Gardens in England — He was accustomed to ride 

 50 er 60 miles a day — His northern circuit he performed in 

 five or six Weeks — his western iu about the same period — in 

 the Southern and Eastern districts he was occupied but three 

 or four days. Switzer intimates that his knowledge of Botany 

 was shght, his industry great, but the cultivation of Fruit his 

 peculiar excellence, though in that of all kind of Flowers and 

 Shrubs he was as skilful as any man in his time. Switzer is 

 not much of authority when speaking of his excellence in design- 

 ing, which he considers to have been not great.* The Gardens 

 of Wanstead House were began by him for Sir Richard 

 Child, in 1706, and were nearly his last undertaking ; he died 

 before completing the Gardens of the Earl of Caenarvon, at 

 Edger in Hertsf . — His activity and continued exertion on 

 horseback brought on a fever which caused his death after an 

 illness of a fortnight's duration. 



MR. HENRY WISE was, like London, a pupil of Mr. Rose. 

 But little is known of him more than I have already mentioned, 



• Icoegraph. Rust. r. i. p. 79— S2. t Ibid. p. 84. 



