PRINCIPAL GARDENERS—JOHN MACKAY. 23 
During a part of the summer of this year he assisted the late 
Mr. Robert Menzies (brother to Mr. Archibald Menzies, travel- 
ling botanist to the King) in serving to the Professor and 
students the plants required at the botanical lectures in the 
Royal garden Edinburgh. I can state, on good authority, that, 
in the short space of six weeks, this hopeful young botanist 
actually collected specimens of all the plants then growing in the 
botanic garden. For this purpose he rose very early in the 
morning; in this pursuit he spent the greater part of the 
different hours of remission allotted for meals; and at night, 
after all the fatigues of a long summer day, assorted his speci- 
mens by candle-light. 
After having remained some time in the nurseries of Messrs. 
Dicksons, Mr. Mackay engaged himself at Hopetoun House, the 
fine garden and pleasure-grounds of which were then (as I 
believe they still are) under the care of Mr. Hosey. Here he 
first remarked plenty of the euphorbia ezula in the belts of 
planting near the palace, and the silene nutans on the banks near 
the frith. On the opposite shore, also, he at this time found the 
rare astragalus uralensis. While he remained at Hopetoun 
Mr. Mackay spent two hours every evening with a teacher of 
mathematics at Queensferry ; and by this sedulous a soma 
he made very considerable progress in that science. 
Towards the close of 1792, he left Hopetoun, having been 
invited by Messrs. Dicksons to act as clerk to their nurseries,‘ 
and to take the charge of the more curious plants. 
It was in the course of the next year? that he acquired, when at 
Glasgow, the acquaintance of Mr. George Don, well known 
amongst naturalists for his zeal in practical botany. Mr. Don 
was then by profession a clock and watch-maker, but spent 
generally about two days in the week im exploring the hills, 
1 His employment here led to his occasional designation as nurseryman 
by his correspondents in the South.—/. 2. B. 
* Don, in a letter to Mr. Winch, gives the date as 1791. See Memoir of 
George Don in these ‘‘ Notes.” If Mackay had been connected with 
Dicksons’ nurseries from 1791 there would probably have been opportunities 
of his meeting Don before 1793, seeing that Don also was acquainted with 
the Dicksons, and the date 1791 given wc Don is pombe and not unlikely. 
—l. B. B. 
