66 THE APOTHECARIES' GARDEN 



maintaining such a scientific institution ; but 

 without success. 



In 1770, Philip Miller, who was becoming 

 irritable under old age and much study, had to 

 leave the Garden. He was voted a pension of 

 60, well deserved. He died the next year, 

 aged 80. Many years later the Linnean and 

 Horticultural Societies put a monument to 

 his memory in Chelsea church. 



At Apothecaries' Hall, meantime, there had 

 been some anxiety. A fire had occurred in 

 Water Lane, close to the Hall. The labora- 

 tory which adjoined the Hall now seemed a 

 possible source of danger. So panelling was 

 removed, more brickw r ork added, and it was 

 decided that, although the furnace might be 

 used for the production of hartshorn, all 

 " vitriol " must be banished a good ruling. 1 



It was decided, too, that the wharf on the 

 Fleet should be let, and advertisements for 

 tenders put in the Daily Journal and Daily 

 Post Boy. There must be good reading in 

 those papers, even in their advertisements. 



A little later (in 1745) they managed to send 

 200 to the Lord Mayor's fund for the soldiers 

 who had put down the rising in Scotland. 



At Chelsea an important step was then 

 taken. In August, 1771, it was decided to cut 

 down the two cedars, which, as the old maps 

 show, were growing in the middle of the 

 Garden. It must have required extraordinary 

 courage on the part of the Committee ; and there 



1 The Apothecaries' Society, which for two centuries and a half 

 had taken the lead in providing pure drugs, has this year, owing 

 to present economic conditions, closed that department of its 

 work, and sold the site of the laboratory. 



