and Funds of the Horticidtural Society. 535 



sion — you stand by — the watchman of the state — the very cherry-clapper 

 put up by us to scare away the obscene birds — and not one single flagging 

 clack is heard from your tongue — all grim silence — you are a very King 

 Log — and this is what I complain of. 



" I am one of those who have always been willing to allow you full 

 merit, both for your knowledge of the physiology of vegetation, and your 

 experiments in the cultivation of plants ; and I am one who thinks the 

 knowledge of the one, and the practice of the other, no mean attainments. 

 You have done much towards the elucidating many points in the circulation 

 of the sap, and have given many practical hints to gardeners: you have a 

 large fortune, and were the very best person who could have been selected 

 as our President; but though you have communicated to the Society what 

 occurred to you from time to time (which, however, would have had more 

 publicity if put in Brande^s Journal, or any of the magazines of the day), 

 you have absolutely done nothing for the Society, as to the administration 

 of its affairs — you have been looking after your own garden instead of 

 ours — our garden is ... . 



" Now it is asked, what are you to do ? what has been omitted ? what 

 has been done wrong ? All very fair questions, I admit. I shall not answer 

 them in order, though I will answer them all before I have done. In the 

 first place, look at the published Transactions of the Society : with the 

 exception of some papers of your own, and a few ft'om pi'actical persons^ 

 was there ever such a heap of trash impressed on wire-wove paper, and 

 dealt out to the public at three or four guineas a volume? Was it neces- 

 sary^ that a Society should come together for the purpose of printing a 

 volume in quarto on the characters of sportive varieties of Chrysanthe- 

 mums, and figures of fugitive Georginas ? Had you any such notion that this 

 was the end and object of your being called into legal existence ? I know 

 you laugh at all these things as well as I do, and amuse your guests at the 

 expense of some of the amateurs and dabblers of the Society : but you 

 should do more; you should first stop the evil, and then laugh at those 

 who would have perpetrated it. ... . 



" Next, as to the administration of the affairs of the Society. A garden 

 is taken without any calling-in of the general members and subscribers — 

 the king and council decide on this — but they do not find the money — 

 this must be got from the members — they (the members) may pay, but 

 not vote. This, you will say, is an old complaint, and that it savours much 

 of radicalism. I am aware that it involves the grave question of universal 

 suffrage ; but let that pass. The garden is to be taken, though ten times 

 too large for a mere experiment garden — but who is to pay, to effect this 

 object of taking the garden ? — The whole class of subscribers were, in my 

 opinion, imposed on, actually dealt unfairly by : they were told, if they did 

 not consent to pay extra, they would be reduced, turned into yelloiv ad- 

 mirals ; they were to be put into an inferior class, should not have a twig 

 from the new garden, nor should they even have the privilege of taking 

 their friends to see it. Now, the original subscribers, viz. those who first 

 set the thing afloat, were treated as old friends sometimes are, that is, ill- 

 used, and all the favour bestowed on the new ones. And here was the first 

 error you made — it was two-fold : you affronted many of the real friends 

 of the Society, who did not, however, care to tell you so, and you began 

 to dabble with money ; then came patronage, a clerk to be recommended, 

 a bricklayer friend or a stone-mason cousin to be pushed forward, and the 

 true English process of jobbing and patronage began — and has not yet 

 ended. This is the fate of every institution in this country, wherever there 

 are funds or patronage; and perhaps it might have required more than 

 mortal vigilance in you to have stemmed the torrent — but you have 

 absolutely done nothing, and therefore are surely to blame. .... 



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