LIVES OF TRAVELLERS 



WILLIAM LOBB. 



COLLECTOR IN CALIFORNIA AND SOUTH AMERICA. 

 18401857. 



WILLIAM LOBB was born in the eastern division of Cornwall. 

 The place is unknown, nor is anything known of his early life. 

 When a young man he applied himself to gardening, and was 

 in 1837 employed in the nursery of Mr. James Veitch senior 

 at Exeter. In this same year Mr. Veitch sent him to be 

 gardener to Mr. Stephen Davey, of Redruth, whose horti- 

 cultural establishment appears to have been on a modest 

 scale, but which, under Lobb's management, became 

 thoroughly efficient. 



For a long time William Lobb had cherished an ardent 

 desire for travel and adventure : he was quick of observation, 

 ready in resources, and practical in their application ; he had 

 devoted much of his leisure to the study of botany, in which 

 considerable proficiency had been acquired. Accordingly, 

 after three years in Mr. Davey's service, he gladly accepted 

 the proposal of Mr. James Veitch senior to go on a mission to 

 various parts of South America for the purpose of collecting 

 plants, and he sailed from Plymouth in 1840 for Rio Janeiro. 

 On his arrival in Brazil he first proceeded to ^tne' Orgaos 1 

 Mountains, and met with several beautiful and notable orchids 

 at that time extremely rare in English gardens ; he then left 

 for Chili, crossing the great Pampas of the Argentine 

 Republic and the Chilian Andes. Continuing his journey 



37 D 



