28 THE IIORTICULTUKE OF 



tural Society, had a large orchard which still remains 

 in good order under the intelligent care of his son, 

 Samuel Downer, Jr. He was an early, enterprising, and 

 useful member, and took a deep interest in pomology 

 until his death, at eighty years of age. He was 

 especially interested in the origin and character of 

 native fruits, and, as he used to say, he loved to be 

 "mousing" after new varieties, especially such as were 

 of native origin. 



Elijah Yose, the third president of the Horticultural 

 Society, had a fine plantation of fruits, and especially 

 grew to great perfection the Duchesse d'Angouleme 

 pear, which sometimes commanded seventy-five cents 

 to a dollar each for extraordinary specimens. 



William Oliver, vice president of the Horticultural 

 Society, had a good orchard of pears and other fruits 

 which, after his death, became the residence of ex-Gov- 

 ernor Henry J. Gardner. 



Another very old garden in Dorchester, of which our 

 valued citizen, Mr. John Richardson, has been the occu- 

 pant and owner for a long course of years, deserves 

 a record in our Memorial volume. The house was the 

 birthplace of Edward Everett, and is understood to 

 have been built in colonial times by Gov. Oliver, who 

 is supposed to have laid out the garden, which is 

 now interesting from its old trees and antique appear- 

 ance, but more especially for the number of choice 

 fruits and flowers, many of which have been produced 

 from seed by the hands of its skilful proprietor. 



The pear orchard of the late William R. Austin, 



which he escaped; was also in the Dartmoor and the Forten prisons for 

 a while, and was in several desperate engagements under John Paul Jones, 

 both as soldier and surgeon. He was engaged in the expedition up the 

 Kennebec to Canada. Massachusetts awarded him fifteen dollars for his loss 

 of surgical instruments. Letter of Samuel Downer, Jr., May 5, 1881 (since 

 deceased). 



