the Botanic Garden at Padua. 317 



of June, 1545, in compliance with the request of the professors 

 and students of medicine in the college, and more particularly 

 at the entreaty of Francis Bonafede, at that period lecturer on 

 simples, which is equivalent to what is now called Professor of 

 Materia Medica. The reformers of the study next rented 

 five squares and a half of land from the monks of Sta. Giustina, 

 and, on the 5th of the following July, a public agreement was 

 ratified with them. The formation and planting of the garden 

 were intrusted to the celebrated Daniel Barbaro, native of 

 Aquileja. The garden being founded, the direction of it was 

 intrusted to Louis Anguillara, a Roman, with the title of her- 

 balist and master, summoned from Bologna by a letter from 

 the reformers, dated 18th August, 1546 ; and this was the first 

 curator of the garden of Padua, in which charge he continued 

 till 1551 ; to him succeeded Peter Anthony Michieli of Venice. 

 Michieli was succeeded, in 1561, by Melchior Guilandino of 

 Kbnigsberg. He was desired by a letter from the reformers of 

 the study to read, expound, and demonstrate, the herbs in the 

 said garden to those scholars who went to see them, and therefore, 

 from this period (20th February, 1563), we may consider the 

 chair of botany to be instituted, which was called Demonstration 

 of Herbs, to distinguish it from the materia medica, which was 

 called Lectures on Herbs. To Guilandino succeeded, both in 

 the garden and in the chair, James Cortuso of Padua, in 1590. 

 After him the celebrated Prospero Alpino of Marostica, in 1603. 

 To Alpino succeeded John Prevozio of Basilea, in 1616; then 

 John Rodio of Denmark, in 1631 ; then Alpino Alpini, son of 

 Prospero, in 1633; John Veslingio of Minden, in 1635; George 

 della Torre of Padua, in 1649; James Pighi of Verona, in 

 1681; Felix Viali of Padua, in 1687; the illustrious Julius 

 Pontederaof Lonigo, in 1719; John Marsili of Venice, in 1759; 

 Joseph Anthony Bonato of Padua, in 1794, who vacated the chair 

 in 1835 ; to which office the above-named Signor Robert de Vi- 

 siani was nominated in 1837. In many of these professors the teach- 

 ing of botany and that of the materia medica were united in the 

 same person, viz., in Melchior Guilandino, Prospero Alpino, 

 Alpino Alpini, John Veslingio, and George della Torre. The 

 study of botany was highly esteemed by the republic, it being 

 every year at considerable expense in sending intelligent persons 

 to its islands in the Levant, Egypt, and even to India, to collect 

 plants to enrich this garden. Under the Austrian government it 

 has been increased by fine hot-houses, and with three movable con- 

 servatories, that is glass structures which are removed in spring. 



The garden is situated between the two basilicae of St. An- 

 tonio and of Sta. Giustina, a few paces distant from the large 

 square of statues, called Prato delta Valle. 



It is surrounded on the north and west by a branch of the river 



