BOTANISTS AND EOTANY. 



direct contrary. Now, your honour, 

 this clay, the 21st of June, is put 

 down in our almanac in-cloors as 

 'settled fine weather; no rain.' I 



looked at that before I brought 

 your honour's horse out, and so 

 was enabled to put you on your 

 guard." 



BOTANISTS AND BOTANY. 



DAVID DOUGLAS HIS ARDOUR AND 

 DEVOTEDNESS. 



The introduction of ornamental 

 plants from abroad was effected, in 

 former days, by diplomatic persons, 

 merchants, or travellers, who inte- 

 rested themselves about such things, 

 and forwarded or took them home. 

 Afterwards travelling botanists, es- 

 pecially those accompanied by skil- 

 ful gardeners, were the chief pro- 

 moters of such importations. More 

 recently our shrubberies and plea- 

 sure-grounds have been enriched by 

 scientific gardeners sent abroad ex- 

 pressly for that purpose. Among 

 the latter class no one deserves 

 greater credit than David Douglas. 

 Being sent out by the Horticultural 

 Society of London to the northern 

 states of America, and its north- 

 west coast, especially the banks of 

 the river Columbia, he introduced 

 into England a greater number of 

 hardy trees, shrubs, and animals, 

 than any one had done before him ; 

 namely, 53 woods and 145 herbace- 

 ous plants, making, altogether, 198 

 species, for the most part quite new. 

 These plants being hardy enough 

 to bear the climate of Europe, have 

 multiplied to an incredible extent 

 in England, as well as on the Con- 

 tinent, so that one scarcely ever 

 gees a garden, however humble, that 

 is without some of these ornaments. 

 Having done so much in America, 

 Douglas went to the Sandwich Isl- 

 ands, where he fell a sacrifice to his 

 .ardent zeal, being gored to death 

 by a wild bull, caught in a pit dug 

 by the natives, and into which the 

 unfortunate traveller fell. He was 



only thirty-six years old. If -we 

 consider the powerful moral influ- 

 ence which floriculture exerts on 

 mankind, we may assuredly rank 

 that young man among those who 

 have honourably sacrificed their 

 lives in the performance of their 

 duty, not less than the soldier who 

 dies on the field of battle. 



DR. ROBERT GRAHAM OF 

 EDINBURGH. 



Dr. Bansford, in a biographical 

 sketch read before the Harveian 

 Society of Edinburgh of the late 

 Dr. Graham, relates that when 

 that ardent botanist was on au 

 excursion in Ireland, in order to 

 obtain a desired specimen he had 

 recourse to a stratagem, which, for 

 the benefit of future tourists, it may 

 be useful to mention. The incident 

 was related to Dr.R. by an eye-wit- 

 ness. When travelling from Gal- 

 way to Ballinasloe on Bianconi's 

 mail car, Dr. Graham noticed Ncpeta, 

 Cataria at the side of the road. 

 This being a plant which had not 

 been gathered during the trip, he 

 was anxious to get some of it. To 

 have asked the driver of her Ma- 

 jesty's mail to stop for such a 

 purpose would have been deemed 

 Quixotic ; he therefore intentionally 

 dropped his hat, and immediately 

 his companions, previously made 

 aware of the trick, shouted loudly 

 to Paddy, whose politeness induced 

 him instantly to pull up. Dr. 

 Grahame's anxiety to get at the 

 plant was so great, that ne jumped 

 from the car before it had fully 

 stopped, and received a very severe 

 abrasion of his arm. In spite of 

 D 



