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JOURNAL 0*' HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ August 18, 1870. 



Wales and other parts of the country in search of new species, more 

 especially of Mosses ; and 'when the publication of his " Hortns 

 Elthamensis " had furnished him with more leisure, he gave his whole 

 attention to this particular branch of botany, and in the year 1741 he 

 gave to the world that excellent digest of his labours, the " Historia 

 Mus coram." 



Sis years after the publication of this work he was seized with a fit 

 of apoplexy, which ended his life on April 2nd, 1747, at the compara- 

 tively early age of 60. 



Dillenius was succeeded in the professorship by Dr. Humphrey Sib- 

 thorp, of Magdalen College, who continued in possession of the chair 

 till the year 1784, when he made way for his illustrious son, Dr. 

 John Sibthorp, of Lincoln College. This gentleman is well known for 

 his labours in the European Flora. He made two excursions into the 

 East of Europe, collecting and describing, and with the assistance of 

 Eerdinand Bauer, the celebrated draughtsman, illustrating by the most 

 beautiful drawings everything of interest in natural history ; and before 

 his death, which took place, alas! in the year 1796, when he was but 

 38 years old, he had prepared for publication those wonderful monu- 

 ments of perseverance and learning, his " Flora Grseca, " and "Fauna 

 Grceca." Stricken down with consumption, induced by a cold caught 

 ■when on his travels, he died after a short illness at Bath. After his 

 death it was found that he had left in his will £300 a-year to defray, first 

 the expenses of his " Flora Grreca," and after its completion to found 

 a Professorship in Rural Economy, and to furnish funds for making 

 additions to the herbarium and library. The successor to Dr. Sibthorp 

 was Dr. George Williams of Corpus Christi College. During his 

 lifetime many preparations were made for the improvement of the gar- 

 dens. The lower parts, which during rains, used to be flooded, were 

 raised a considerable height, and this led the way for the changes that 

 were effected by Dr. Daubeny, who succeeded to the chair on the death 

 of Dr. Williams in 1834. 



Dr. Charles Giles Bridel Daubeny was born at Stratton, in Gloucester- 

 shire, in 1795. From the school at Winchester, where he remained six 

 years, he went, in his 20th year, to Magdalen College, where he obtained, 

 first a " demyship," and afterwards a fellowship. After taking his 

 degree, he sought to extend Lis experience by studying at other univer- 

 sities, and for this purpose went to London and Edinburgh, and after- 

 wards at Geneva attended a course of De Candolle's lectures on botany, 

 of which he took the most ample and elaborate notes. 



One of his earliest works, and one of which his reputation as a great 

 philosopher may fairly rest, was his "History of Volcanos." Into 

 this work he compressed a wonderful amount of original information ; 

 and, notwithstanding the gigantic strides geology has made since 

 then, it is one that may be read with the greatest profit at the pre- 

 sent day. 



In 1822 he was elected Professor of Chemistry, and in 1S34 Professor 

 of Botany. The first of these chairs he held till 1865, when he resigned 

 it in favour of the present professor. Of the changes that Dr. Daubeny 

 effected on his appointment it is difficult to speak too favourably. In 

 the place of the old herbarium and library he built the present 

 dwelling-house, while he removed the herbarium to a new and more 

 commodious building on the north side of the gardens, away from the 

 river. The garden itself, too, was entirely remodelled, the rabbits 

 that infested its walks routed out, and the garden laid out partly on 

 the natural system and partly on the Linnaean. The improvements 

 that were made during both Professor Williams's time and Dr. Daubeny 's 

 were conducted entirely by Mr. Baxter, sen., and his son, Mr. William 

 H. Baxter, who together nave for the last 57 years devoted their whole 

 time with the greatest ability to their accomplishment ; and with what 

 success they have laboured I am not permitted to speak, but I leave it 

 for you discerning gentlemen to inspest the gardens, and judge for 

 yourselves. The greater number of the present conservatories also are 

 the result of Dr. Daubeny's indefatigable exertions. In all matters 

 relating to horticulture or agriculture he took, as most of you will well 

 remember, the deepest interest. For the furtherance of both he pur- 

 chased a piece of ground in the parish of Iifley, with theintention of carry- 

 ing on experiments with different kinds of manures; and this ground 

 he caused to be conveyed to the University, to be held in trust by them 

 for the use of the Professor of Rural Economy. For some years, how- 

 ever, before his death his health was such as to prevent his undertaking 

 any fresh experiments, so he let it, and when he died it had run into 

 great disorder. 



Dr. Daubeny was one of the earliest supporters of the British 

 Association, and in 1S56 he presided over its deliberations at Chelten- 

 ham ; and so great was his popularity there, that a medal was struck 

 in his honour to commemorate the occasion — a tribute of respect 

 that has never been paid to any other president by his friends and 

 admirers. 



It would be beside my purpose in this paper to enlarge upon other 

 matters than such as are purely botanical ; but I cannot before con- 

 cluding refrain from drawing your attention to the fact that Dr. 

 Daubeny was one of the earliest and strongest supporters of scientific 

 instruction being given in this University. With but few sympathisers 

 on his side he did battle for a natural science school, at a time when 

 its introduction was dreaded by the majority of his contemporaries. 

 But he lived to see his early dreams realised, and before he died he 

 had the satisfaction of beholding a young but flourishing school, with 

 ample opportunities for teaching, and an efficient staff of professors 



and tutors labouring in all its various branches. What he aided in 

 establishing it is our part to maintain ; and you, I am sure, will wish 

 us " God speed." 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



August 17th. 



Although one of the minor Shows, this was advanced to the dignity 

 of being held in the conservatory instead of the Council- room, as every 

 one expected. It deserved the distinction. It was not a large show, 

 it was not a remarkable show, but it was a good show, and a good 

 show under adverse circumstances. Who is there not calling out 

 owing to the drought ? Very few, and fortunate they ; and it was a 

 marvel to see such stands of Gladiolus as were shown by Messrs. 

 Kelway, Messrs. Downie, and Messrs. Bunyard among nurserymen ; 

 by Mr. Fry, Mr. Douglas, and the Rev. H. Dombrain. Happy may 

 they he in their well-earned honours, for even in the best of soilB, 

 in the best of situations, with the best of means, and with abundance 

 of water, many could not have nearly approached the excellence in 

 which these exhibited their favourite flowers. It was, too, an exhibi- 

 tion in all senses satisfactory ; it was well arranged — nay, gracefully 

 arranged, for along the centres of the tables were lordly Tree Ferns, 

 Campanulas, andmiscellaneousplants, which relieved the flatness stands 

 of florists' flowers generally have. There were groups every so far giving 

 diversity amidst the long lines of the regular tabling, bearing a variety 

 of beautiful subjects. There were exhibitors well pleased (ararity), and 

 there were sight-seers well pleased too, but of tne last there were not 

 enough ; for fine as the day was, fine as the show, London is now out 

 of town. We have given great credit to the Gladiolus exhibitors ; those 

 of the Hollyhock equally deserve a word of praise, but we missed one 

 well-known name, that of the Rev. E. Hawke, of WiUingham Rec- 

 tory — a name that will ever be connected with the Hollyhock, as the 

 place will with Jeannie Deans. But there were many other things to 

 interest — the Phloxes, neglected too much, but yet so beautiful ere 

 masse, or individually ; the ornamental-leaved trees and shrubs from 

 Messrs. Paul & Son, affording the means of diversifying the scenery of 

 our pleasure grounds and parks ; and, last, there was ample store o£ 

 those novelties for which the advanced horticulturist iB ever seeking, 

 and that in many ways. The whole formed one of the best of the 

 minor shows ; it might have been better, but better it could hardly 

 have been under the circumstances. The details we subjoin. 



In Class 1, for foreign growers, there was no exhibition, as might 

 indeed be expected in the present disturbed state of the Continent. 

 In th? nurserymen's class for thirty-six Messrs. Kelway & Son, Lang- 

 port, were first with magnificent spikes of Moliere, Madame Vilmorin, 

 Spectabilis, Le Titien, Rosa Bonheur, Freemason, Madame Desportes, 

 Robert Fortune, Agnes Mary, James Veitch, Elizabeth, Meyerbeer, 

 Due de Montebello, Prince Imperial, De Humboldt, Schiller, Newton, 

 Lacepede, Legouve, Velleda, Eugt-ne Scribe, Formosa, Rossini, Stella, 

 Norma, Virgile, Mathilde de Landevoisin, Leonora, Orphee, Monsieur 

 A. Brongniart, Sultane, Van Dyck, Canova, Anna, Noemie, and 

 Homere. The spikes in this stand were all fastened to brass rails 

 running longitudinally, which made them stand well up, and, being 

 placed about 9 inches apart, the effect of the collection was much 

 better than where the spikes were more crowded. No second prize was 

 awarded, and the third prize went to Mr. D. Robertson, Helensburgh, 

 Dumbarton. The spikes in this collection were much inferior to those 

 in the first-prize one and to those in a collection from Messrs. Bun- 

 yard, of Ashford and Maidstone, which would have been second had it 

 not been too late for competition. 



Class 3 was for eighteen spikes. In this Messrs. Downie, Laird, 

 and Laing, of Stanstead Park Nursery, were first with splendid spikes, 

 though not on the whole equal to those shown by Messrs. Kelway in 

 the preceding class. The varieties were Madame Leseble, Hortense, 

 Le Poussin, Canova, Orpheus, Madame Binder, Fnlton, Lacepede, 

 Sultan, Norma, Horace, Milton, Alexandra, Crystal Palace, Diomede, 

 Meyerbeer, and Shakspeare. The second prize went to Messrs. Dray- 

 cott & Sons, Humberstone Nursery, Leicester, who had excellent spikes 

 of Shakspeare, Imperatrice Eugenie, James Veitch, Madame Furtado, 

 Sir William Hooker, and some others. Messrs. Paul & Son were 

 third ; but Messrs. Stuart & Mein, Kelso, who sent noble spikes of 

 Princess Mary of Cambridge, Rossini, Armide, Monsieur Legouve, and 

 Maria Stuart, and very good oneB of several others, if not too late for 

 competition would have taken a high position. 



In the amateurs' class for twelve, Mr. R. Fry, gardener to V. Stuckey, 

 Esq., Taunton, had an excellent stand in which Shakspeare, Madame 

 Vilmorin, Legouve, Charles Turner, Norma, and Mathilde de Lande- 

 voisin were the mo6t prominent. For this and a stand from the Rev. 

 H. H. Dombrain, Westwell Vicarage, Ashford, equal first prizes were 

 given. The latter had fine spikes of Leonora, Madame Dombrain, 

 Madame Furtado, Orphee, Eleanor Norman, Rosa Bonheur, Marie 

 Stuart, Homere, James Veitch, and Roi Leopold. Mr. J. DouglaB, 

 gardener to F. Whitbourn, Esq., Loxford Hall, was second with De- 

 licatissima, well named, being flushed with delicate pinkish lilac; 

 Orphee, Princess of Wales, and good spikes of several other kinds. 



For nine spikes, Mr. R. Fry was again first with excellent spikes, 

 Mr. Douglas being second, and the Rev. H. H. Dombrain third ; and 

 of six spikes, Mr. Welch, gardener to J. Marshall, Esq., Belmont 

 Park, Taunton, was the only exhibitor, and took a first prize. For four, 

 Mr. Fry was first with very fine spikes of Lacepede, Robert Fortune, 



