1 1 6 Emigrati7ig of Garde?iers. . 



consider your life safe, and must join either one side or other 

 in the horrible intestine war which continually rages there. Not 

 only these things compel me to dissuade you from emigrating, 

 but I think, with your talents, you may look forward to doing 

 much better in England. There are curatorships of botanic 

 gardens now and then vacant* ; nursery establishments either 

 to be disposed of, or opened with every prospect of success : and 

 I would advise you to look to these rather than emigration. 

 However, I can only judge from report, and there are many who 

 can form an opinion much better than myself, and who, no 

 doubt, will gladly give you their advice. Tweedie was an old 

 man when he went to Buenos Ayres ; he depends upon the 

 profits of a store which his family attend to for his support, and 

 not his plants. Matthews and Bridges both, I believe, had 

 other sources of income than the plants and animals, &c., they 

 sent over. Cuming is the only one of collectors that has made 

 any thing, and that was by his shells and corallines. f How his 



trip to the Philippines may turn out, I don't yet hear. 



makes little but what barely keeps him ; indeed, a gentleman 

 wrote me, only a short time ago, that it would require every exer- 

 tion to enable him to continue his researches since the death of 

 the Duke of Bedford, who subscribed largely to his mission. You 

 ask what he is doing? Little, I fear, in the way of plants: 

 there was a collection of seeds and some plants received from 

 him a few weeks ago, and something is expected shortly. Apropos 

 to emigration, I have sent to a relative for a copy of a letter on 

 the subject of emigration to Australia, written by a friend who 

 had been many years in India, and who was desirous of invest- 

 ing his large capital in that " land of promise," which contains 

 some good remarks on the fine stories we read of the settlers 

 there ; and, if I receive it, I shall enclose it to you : at any rate, 

 I must write to you again in a day or two, when you shall have it. 



Feb. 5. 1840. 



* A propagator who could furnish the councils or committees of such 

 gardens, the London and Caledonian Horticultural Gardens included, with 

 the lowest estimate at which common plants could he propagated and brought 

 to market, would have a better chance of a curatorship than a skilful or scien- 

 tific gardener, — If. B. D. 



-j- Mr. Cuming had his first ideas of gathering plants from Mr. Anderson, 

 during Captain King's voyage. Anderson went out one day looking after 

 plants, and met Cuming among the rocks at Conception, looking for shells, &c. 

 They were strangers to each other, but felt the greatest delight, when they 

 found they were from the same country, and almost on the same pursuit, on 

 this savage and inhospitable coast. Ever since this circumstance, they look 

 on each other as two brothers ; and Cuming learned from Anderson how to 

 dry plants, and the other duties of a collector. — K. B. D. 



