THE STORY OF THE GARDENS 105 



else his life would surely have figured on some 

 more authoritative pages than mine. The last 

 time I saw him, if I remember right, he was 

 staying at Kew, engaged in some work or study 

 in the Gardens where his grandfather had been 

 foreman. The above digression relates to the 

 fact that the Kew gardeners were apt to be 

 kinsmen, or at least kindly Scots. Macnab, 

 Lockhart, Begbie, Kerr, Fraser, Morison these 

 are only some names occurring early among the 

 staff to show how the Aiton dynasty did not over- 

 look their countrymen's claims to employment. 



If not scientific men themselves, the Aitons 

 had the advice and help of the best naturalists 

 of their day, specially of Sir Joseph Banks, 

 Captain Cook's companion, who introduced to 

 this country the fuchsia, the hydrangea, and 

 other exotic plants. Under this President of 

 the Royal Society, less distinguished collectors 

 were sent out to all parts of the world, some- 

 times in ships of war, to procure specimens for 

 Kew. Two such emissaries were on board the 

 Bounty on its celebrated voyage, one of them 

 sticking by the commander, the other going off 

 with the mutineers. To the honour of Banks, 

 it is told that when consignments of rare 



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