126 FIRST JOURNEY IN EUROPE. [1839, 
Thursday evening. . . . To commence where I broke 
off with Tuesday. We went to dine, by appointment, 
with Mr. Ward, the plant-case man, at three P. M., 
which hour was appointed for the purpose of showing 
us the plant-cases, ete., by daylight. Ward is one of 
the most obliging men I ever knew. Iwas perhaps a 
little disappointed in his plants, but this is the very 
worst season of the year, particularly in London, and 
his house, which is in the heart of the city, near Lon- 
don Docks, is very badly situated as to light. But I 
have learned something from him, and feel confident 
that I shall be able to manage our plant-cases much 
better hereafter. Menzies was there, and a truly kind- 
hearted old man he is. I was to have returned in 
time to spend the evening at Bentham’s, but owing to 
the stormy weather I did not reach my lodgings till it 
was too late. On Friday (a snowy day) I was out 
rather late; went to Bentham’s, where I spent the 
whole morning, dined with him and Mrs. Bentham, 
three in all! — they have no children, and live in the 
most cosy and quiet way you could imagine — and 
spent the whole evening with him in labeling plants 
which he selected for me from his duplicates. To-day, 
Joseph Hooker having concluded to postpone till this 
evening his departure for Glasgow, and having writ- 
ten accordingly to Ward to meet us, we visited the 
famous greenhouses and conservatories of Loddiges. 
Miss Maria Hooker was with us, having come out 
from Hampstead for the purpose. It is rather a long 
ride to Hackney, but we were well repaid. The col- 
lection of Orchidew is immense and very beautiful, but 
a very small portion is now in flower. The palm- 
house, ample and magnificent as it is, rather disap- 
pointed me; it seemed not so much larger than that 
