KINGSBRIDGE 1 5 1 



in 1774,* being then only twenty-eight years old: it grew 

 in the garden of Cliff House, a residence (as its name implies) 

 within a few yards of the sea. In the middle of June the 

 plant was first observed to have shot forth a flower-stem, 

 which grew rapidly, and advanced about nine inches daily, 

 until at the end of September it had attained the height of 

 twenty-eight feet, bearing innumerable flowers on forty-two 

 branches : its leaves were nine feet long and six inches wide. 

 In 1820 a second Aloe flowered at Woodville, the seat of the 

 late James Yates, Esq., which attained the height of twenty- 

 seven feet, and produced forty flowering branches, bearing 

 sixteen thousand flowers: this plant is fully described in 

 the fifth volume of the ' Transactions of the Horticultural 

 Society.' In 1832 a third flowered at the Moult, the seat of 

 W. Jackson, Esq., which was twenty-eight feet high. The 

 lawn at Woodville was again ornamented in 1835 with the 

 almost countless blossoms of this most stately exotic : the 

 stem of this specimen was twenty-four feet nine inches in 

 height, forming the fourth Aloe that had flowered here. In 

 the Autumn of 1840 a fifth flowered at the Moult, and was 



* Hawkins gives a copy of a handbill which was printed and circulated 

 at the time this Aloe was flowering. It is as follows : — 



" Now to be seen at SALCOMBE, near 



KINGSBBIDGE, in full blow, 



A Remarkable ALLOE, 



Supposed to be the largest ever seen in this kingdom ; and although 



continually exposed to the Weather, it hath grown to the following 



Dementions : — 



feet, inches. 



In height 20 Of 



Length of the leaf „ 9 



Thickness of ditto 6 



As the Proprietor hath been at great expenses to keep it for the Inspection 



of the Curious, the Terms of admission are, for Ladies and Gentlemen 



2s. 6d. each ; all others at one shilling each person, and to be paid at the 



Door." 



t It afterwards grew eight feet more. 



