PETER C. M. VEITCH. 



COLLECTOR IN AUSTRALIA, SOUTH SEA ISLANDS, AND BORNEO. 



18751878. 



PETER C. M. VEITCH, for some years the chief of the firm of 

 Robert Veitch & Son, of Exeter, travelled in the service of 

 the Chelsea house for several years in Australia, the Fiji and 

 the South Sea Islands, Borneo and the neighbouring islands, 

 and he sent several new plants, as well as many rare in the 

 British Isles at that time. 



P. C. M. Veitch's earliest connection with Chelsea commenced 

 in 1867, when he entered Coombe Wood as an assistant, to 

 acquire a knowledge of Trees and Shrubs and of the working 

 of that intricate branch of the nursery business. Subse- 

 quently transferred to the New Plant Department at Chelsea, 

 he stayed till 1869, when he was sent to a seed-growing 

 establishment in Germany. 



From Germany he proceeded to a seed-house in France for 

 some six months, and again returned to Chelsea. 



In the spring of 1875, deemed advisable he should take 

 a sea-voyage, it was arranged that he should visit, on behalf 

 of the firm, the clients in Australasia, and, at the same time, 

 introduce to England any plants likely to be of value for 

 horticultural purposes. 



With this object P. C. M. Veitch left England in 1875 for 

 Sydney, by the long sea route, and almost immediately after 



67 



