282 THE LIFE AND WORK OF GEORGE DON. 
1808 there were two sons born the first died in his infancy, the 
second Charles Lyell born in 1810 now Gardener to Lord Beresford 
at Bedgebury Park near Goudhurst in Kent. About 1811 my father 
added the nursery-business to that of the Botanic Garden which 
turned out anything but profitable, the ground being so bad and the 
labour so expensive. In Jany 1814, my father died as well as my 
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qualified himself for in Edinburgh. 
Had he then thrown up botany he would have done well in his 
new profession, for he was very successful at first, but this 
ultimately dwindled in consequence of his being continually out of 
the way when wanted in search of new botanical discoveries which 
is not a pursuit adapted for a poor man with a numerous family. 
business but we were both too young and |in]experienced, 
actually knew nothing about the matter whatever, and even if we 
had we could have done nothing surrounded as we were by the 
burgh and went to live at Gask and from thence to Smithy Haugh 
where she died about 1836 of a desease of the hear 
care who countenanced myself as well as all my brothers was 
eneral Sir David Leighton of the East India Company’s Service 
a relation (cousin) of my father by my grandmother’s side and James 
Brodie of Brodie who both remitted sums direct to my mother on 2 
or 3 different occasions. 
My fathers publications were few, they were the 1 “Hortus Siccus”; 
2 “Plants and Animals of Forfarshire” published in Hederwicks 
Statistical Account of Forfarshire; 3 A paper on Fiorin grass 
grostis stolonifera, published in some Society’s Transactions, 4 
Some account of the varieties of Scotch-Fir &c. 
fi ir yk. 
mith, however the thing was perfectly easy perhaps Mr. John 
