KALM'S VISIT 61 



Here he was detained for six months, " for 

 want of a vessel," he said, " to cross to 

 America." The delay produced an interesting 

 diary with voluminous notes on horticulture, 

 agriculture and the customs of the English. 

 His visit to England was translated by Joseph 

 Lucas in 1892. 



Kalm paid many visits to the Physic Garden. 



On April 22, 1748, Kalm writes : " We saw 

 Chelsea Hortum Botanicum, which is one of 

 the principal ones in Europe. Here we found 

 the learned Dr. Miller, who is Horti Prcefectus 

 of the same. In the evening I was at the house 

 of Dr. Mortimer, Secretary of the Royal 

 Society. Here I met the great Ornithologus, 

 Mr. Edwards, who had published a book on 

 birds in the English language, with matchless 

 copperplates, all in lifelike colour, so that it 

 looked as if the bird stood living on the paper." 1 



On May loth Kalm remarks that " the land 

 round Chelsea is almost entirely devoted to 

 nursery and vegetable gardens. The same is 

 true of the land on all sides around London. 

 . . . The vast London, and the frightful 



1 George Edwards was the librarian to the College of Physicians 

 wh~o paid Sloane weekly visits at the Manor House at Chelsea. 

 There is a good copy of his work on Natural History seven 

 folio volumes full of excellent plates, chiefly of birds, etched on 

 copper and coloured by hand in the library of the College of 

 Physicians, presented by the author. The volumes appeared 

 between the years 1743 and 1746, and were published by the 

 College of Physicians the only work the College ever issued. 



It was afterwards translated into French, German and Dutch. 

 Edwards possessed an authentic painting of the Dodo, taken 

 from life, now in the British Museum. 



Gilbert White began the notes on Natural History, which led 

 to the Natural History of Selborne, just after the publication of 

 Edwards' volumes. It would be interesting to know whether 

 White had access to them through either of his brothers, the 

 publisher, or the ironmonger in Thames Street. 



