Botanic Garden at Oxford. 113 



the principal species only ; for a great deal of valuable time 

 may be as good as lost by a young gardener, in acquiring a 

 knowledge, or rather in recollecting the names, of obscure plants, 

 which might be more profitably employed in acquiring a general 

 knowledge of other branches of natural history, and chemistry. 

 The beau ideal which a young gardener ought to aim at is, a 

 general knowledge of every thing; and a power of directing the 

 whole of his attention and faculties to any one subject, so as to 

 make himself master of it, if requisite. 



The last thing which Mr. Baxter showed us was his own 

 study, or library ; and certainly it is by far the most complete 

 one which we have ever seen in the possession of any British 

 botanic gardener. That which approaches the nearest to it 

 is the library of Mr. Shepherd, at Liverpool ; but Mr. Baxter's 

 is twice as rich. It contains all the works on British botany, De 

 Candolle's principal works, Sprengel's, Roemer and Schultz's, 

 &c. Mr. Baxter showed us some leaves of dried specimens 

 prepared for the work on mosses, of which he published three 

 numbers some years ago ; but, as Dr. Hooker informs us [English 

 Flora, vol. v. p. 130.), " the work was never completed, Mr. 

 Baxter having died after the third number." We are happy to 

 inform Dr. Hooker and his readers that it was the work only 

 that died, and not the author; for Mr. Baxter now is, as we 

 hope he may long continue to be, in excellent health and spirits. 

 With all Mr. Baxter's knowledge, he is one of the most modest 

 and unassuming of men. 



It is much to be regretted that the city of Oxford has not a 

 botanic garden suited to the rank which it holds as a British 

 university. Were a small sum contributed by each of the col- 

 leges yearly, even the present garden might be rendered doubly 

 efficient: more especially if the adjoining ground, at present 

 occupied by Mr. Penson, were added to it, and a part or the 

 whole of the meadows of Christ Church. But the situation is 

 altogether bad ; and, for a botanic garden worthy of Oxford, a 

 dry, open, ample, airy piece of ground should be selected, 

 outside of the town ; say somewhere about Jeffery's Nursery. 

 The present botanic garden might still be continued as such, on 

 a smaller scale, so as to suit the income destined for its support. 

 Till lately there has been a great want of botanical taste among 

 the Oxford professors; but we hope that a taste for botany, 

 as well as a taste for geology, is now dawning upon them ,• and, 

 whenever it does, they will soon produce a botanic garden 

 worthy of themselves. We are sure that the stocking of the 

 different college gardens with new and ornamental articles, and 

 naming them in the manner contemplated by Mr. Fairbairn, will 

 contribute much to this effect. After a botanic garden is es- 

 tablished, a zoological garden will follow ; and, perhaps, ulti- 

 Vol. X.— No. 49. i 



