PUBLIC WORK 169 



Carpenter, Edwin Lankester, Griffith, Daubeny and William- 

 son. His lectureship to the Society of Apothecaries began in 

 1835, and in 1841 in which year the Gardeners' Chronicle was 

 founded, he became editor of that periodical. This post he held 

 till his death in 1865, 



It might be supposed that the multifariousness and onerous- 

 ness of Lindley's official and routine duties left little time for 

 other work. Yet Lindley made time not only for scientific 

 investigation and for the writing of numerous monographs and 

 text-books ; but also for a large and varied amount of public 

 work. In the Lindley correspondence preserved at Kew are 

 to be found letters and papers (official correspondence 1832 

 1854) criticising trenchantly the mismanagement of the Royal 

 forests and recommendations on the selection and cultivation 

 of trees for the charcoal employed in the manufacture of gun- 

 powder. 



Lindley, together with Hooker, acted as adviser to the 

 Commissioners of the Admiralty with respect to the planting 

 of the Island of Ascension. 



The potato famine was the occasion of an official visit to 

 Ireland and led to a report by Lindley, Sir Robert Kave and 

 Sir Lyon Playfair which was the immediate cause of the Repeal 

 of the Corn Laws. As Sir Robert Peel told Lindley "in the 

 face of the Report, the repeal could no longer be avoided." 

 Thus the potato takes rank with the chance word, the common 

 soldier, the girl at the door of an inn that have changed or 

 almost changed the fate of nations. 



Lindley and Kew. 



But of all Lindley's public works that which he undertook 

 for the saving of Kew from destruction is of the most immediate 

 interest to botanists. In 1838 a small committee consisting of 

 Lindley, Paxton and J. Wilson (gardener to the Earl of Surrey) 

 were commissioned to report on the state of the Royal Gardens. 

 After exposing the incompetence and extravagance of the then 

 administration Lindley recommended that the Royal Gardens, 

 Kew, should be made over to the nation and should become the 



