I 



Xlii MEMOIR. 



culturist." When in his neighborhood, these correspond- 

 ents came to visit him. They were anxious " to see the 

 man who had written books which had enabled them to 

 make their houses beautiful, which had helped their 

 wives in the flower-garden, and had shown them how, with 

 little expense, to decorate their humble parlors, and add a 

 grace to the barrenness of daily life." All this was better 

 than Queen Anne's " magnificent ring." 



Meanwhile, business in the nursery looked a little 

 threatening. Money was always dropping from the hospi- 

 table hand of the owner. Expenses increased affairs 

 became complicated. It is not the genius of men like 

 Downing to manage the finances very skilfully. "Every 

 tree that he sold for a dollar, cost him ten shillings ; " 

 which is not a money-making process. He was perhaps 

 too lavish, too careless, too sanguine. " Had his income 

 been a million a minute, he would always have been 

 in debt," says one who knew him well. The composed 

 manner was as unruffled as ever ; the regal will preserved 

 the usual appearance of things, but in the winter of 

 1846-7 Mr. Downing was seriously embarrassed. It was 

 a very grave juncture, for it was likely that he would 

 be obliged to leave his house and begin life again. But 

 his friends rallied to the rescue. They assured to him 

 his house and grounds ; and he, without losing time, 

 without repining, and with the old determination, went to 

 work more industriously than ever. His attention was 

 unremitting to the "Horticulturist," and to all the projects 

 he had undertaken. His interest in the management of the 

 nursery, however, decreased, and he devoted himself with 

 more energy to rural architecture and landscape gardening, 

 until he gradually discontinued altogether the raising of 

 trees for sale. His house was still the resort of the most 



