386 Obituary. 



as great as those of the other; the test of their respective worth being the 

 nature of the times in which each performs his part. 



When, therefore, we call upon all gardeners and lovers of plants to subscribe 

 for the purpose of raising a perpetual memorial to the memory of Mr. Douglas, 

 as great in its way as that which was raised to the memory of the first Duke 

 of Marlborough, and for the benefit of his family, it is not, as some may sup- 

 pose, that we wish to depreciate the merits of the warrior. We simply mean 

 to state, that Mr. Douglas has rendered a most important service to his 

 country, to Europe, and, in short, to the temperate regions of both hemi- 

 spheres, in their present state of civilisation, by the introduction of a number 

 of new and valuable plants. These plants will continue to be useful and 

 ornamental to Britain, and other countries having similar climates, as long as 

 these climates continue the same as they now are; and we think it is due to 

 the arts of civilisation and refinement, that an attempt should be made to raise 

 a lasting monument to the introducer of so much good, by his personal friends, 

 by his fellow-labourers, and by the lovers of plants and of gardening in every 

 country. 



We submit, therefore, to all our readers, the propriety of coming immediately 

 forward with subscriptions of from one to five shillings each person, for the 

 purpose of aiding the committee of the Perthshire Horticultural Society in 

 erecting a monument of some sort to the memory of the late Mr. Douglas, in 

 his native parish of Scone, in the neighbourhood of Perth. There is a par- 

 ticular propriety, we think, in its being erected in his native village : in no 

 other situation could it afford so much pleasure to his friends and relatives ; 

 in no other situation could it so well illustrate the great principle, that, in a 

 free and a wealthy country, an obscure individual, in a remote situation, may 

 rise to the highest honours in the eyes of his countrymen ; and on no other 

 principle than this could the general appearance of the country be so nobly 

 ornamented. It is allowed on all hands, that the most remarkable difference 

 between Great Britain and the countries of the Continent is, that, while their 

 colleges and other public institutions, their public monuments, their mansions 

 of men of wealth, and their men of learning, talent, and taste, are concentrated 

 in their capital cities, their provinces are left in a much less cultivated state; 

 whereas our wealth, our wisdom, and our taste are, comparatively with theirs, 

 distributed over the whole land. Whatever monument, therefore, may be 

 erected to Douglas, we trust it will be placed in his native village. We en- 

 treat all our readers to subscribe, and to leave it to the committee to carry 

 into execution such a memorial as the funds will justify; and we do most 

 sincerely hope that a sufficient sum will be raised to purchase a piece of land 

 large enough to contain all the plants which Douglas introduced, as well as to 

 erect a monument on it : even if the sum raised should not be sufficient to pur- 

 chase land enough for a market-garden, and to build a house. 



We have already suggested the idea of gardeners sending their subscriptions 

 through their seedsmen : others, who have not this opportunity, may send 

 them to us ; or, what would be preferable, to our publishers, Messrs. Longman, 

 Rees, and Co., who have kindly undertaken to receive subscriptions; as has 

 Mr. Charlwood, seedsman, 14^. Tavistock Row, Covent Garden. Subscriptions 

 Vi'ill also be received at the office of the London Horticultural Society, 21, 

 Regent Street, London ; and, we think that we may venture to say, by all other 

 Horticultural Societies, not only in Britain, but on the Continent, in North 

 America, and, in short, throughout the world. A biographical notice of Mr. 

 Douglas will be found in Vol. XL p. 271., and further details respecting his 

 death in the present volume, p. 274. 



Art. IX. Obituary. 

 Death of Mr. Richard Cumiingham, the Colonial Botanist at Sydney. — 

 The distressing reports respecting the loss of this amiable man were in a great 

 measure confirmed by the postscript to our Australian article in our last Num- 

 ber, p. 328.; and we have since received information to the same effect from 



