KNOWLl'.DCi: 



July, 1912. 



Rowlandson's — " A Feast at the Fly Club." 



Messrs. Salisbury, Aiton, ForsNth. and Dicksdii td 

 foregather in a room behind Mr. Hatrharci"s shop 

 in Piccadilly. Mr. Smith does not give the name of 

 Thomas Andrew Knight amongst those present, 

 but in the paper read at Chester on August 4th, 1896, 

 by Sir Trevor Lawrence, P.K.H.S., the project of 

 founding the Royal Horticultural Socict\' was 

 \\ hoUv attributed to Thomas Andrew Knight, F.K.S.. 

 ■■ a name associated with the Society during a long 

 course of years, and ever 

 regarded with the highest 

 honour 1)\- all connected 

 with it." " Mr. Knight," 

 says Sir Trevor Lawrence, 

 " had devoted much 

 attention to scientific horti- 

 culture and vegetable 

 phxsiology, on which sub- 

 jects he had communicated 

 several papers to the Royal 

 Societ\'. He lived in 

 Herefordshire in the midst 

 of a cyder antl perry 

 country, and had been 

 struck by the unskilful and 

 unscientific management of 

 the surrounding orchards. 

 He put himself into com- 

 munication with Sir Joseph 

 Banks, P.R.S., .Mr.'k. A. 

 Salisbury, Messrs. .\iton 

 and Forsyth, the royal 

 gardeners and others, the 

 result being that on March 

 7th, 1804, the new society 



was founded." The name 

 of .Mr. John Wedgwood does 

 not even occur. Mr. Smith, 

 on tlie other hand, declares 

 him to have been at once 

 the head and moving spirit 

 of those who desired to 

 found the London Horti- 

 cultural Society, being 

 " dissatisfied with the pre- 

 vailing habit of leaving all 

 to the gardener, who 

 generally pursued the dull 

 routine of his predecessor, 

 without science and with 

 little intelligence." Those 

 who assembled on that event- 

 ful afternoon in the parlour 

 of John Hatchard felt sure 

 of being able "to improve 

 almost every esculent plant 

 or fruit by the adoption of 

 system and foresight in 

 gardening operations." Sir 

 Trevor Lawrence makes 

 T. A. Knight the suggestor of 

 the Piccadilly gathering; 

 Mr. George Smith, quite as distinctly, assigns that 

 position to John \\'edgwood. 



The premises of John Hatchard have been lately 

 rebuilt, and the fagade overlooking Piccadilly is once 

 again very much what it was in 1804 when Knight 

 or Wedgwood, or both, called their friends together 

 there to form the Horticultural Society of London. 

 That Sir Joseph Banks was of the party there can be 

 very little doubt. Nineteen years ago .Mr. .\rthur L. 



Figure jIo. 

 George Cruikshank's Celebrated Caricature of the Horlicullural Society in 1825. 



