I THE HISTORY OF AITON S ' HORTUS KEWENSIS 



SOLANDER AND DrYANDER. 



The fact that Solander died in 1782 and that the first volume 

 of the Hortus Keiuensis did not appear until 1789 is sufficient to 

 show that Solander had no part in preparing the book for the 

 press. That this was the work of Dryander is clear, not only 

 from the reference by W. T. Alton in the second edition, to be 

 quoted later, but from internal evidence ; and to him must be 

 assigned the preface to the volume and the list of books quoted 

 (pp. v-xxx)." We find that Dryander was sending proofs of the 

 Hortus to L'Heritier in 1788, and that the latter furnished him 

 with diagnoses for inclusion in the volume — e. g. the diagnosis of 

 Solanum vespertilio in Hort. Kew. i. 252 f is taken verbatim from 

 his letter to Dryander of July 20, 1788, and there is ample 

 evidence in L'Heritier's letters (in the Department of Botany) 

 that Dryander was in frequent communication with him regarding 

 the book, notably with reference to the GeraniacecB.l Smith in 

 the Supplement to Eees's Cyclopcsdia (1819) s. v. Dryandra speaks 

 of Dryander's " abilities as editor of the first edition and part of 

 the second of Mr. Alton's Hortus Keiceiisis," § and W. T. Alton in 

 the postscript to vol. v., ed. 2,|| writes: — 



" To the memory of his deceased friend Jonas Dryander, Esq., 

 a melancholy tribute of acknowledgement must be paid, for having 

 continued to the son the assistance given to his father during the 

 publication of the former Edition of this work. This inestimable 

 man exerted his best talents not only in improving the plan, but 

 in arranging the materials of this Catalogue for the press, and 

 correcting the proof sheets during the progress of the printing, 

 until a few days previous to his death ; endeavouring at the same 

 time to instil into the mind of the Author some portion of that 

 extensive scientific information for which he was so universally 

 esteemed." 



The facts being as stated, it is not easy to see how the tradition 

 that Solander was responsible for the first edition came to be 

 generally accepted. That such was the case is certain, for Bennett 

 (who, from his association with Brown and consequent inheri- 

 tance of the Banksian traditions, was of all men the most likely 

 to know) says in his preface to vol. ii. of Brown's Miscellaneous 



* Alton was quite incapable of making such a list ; Dryander's connection 

 with it is made plain by such references as those to L'Heritier (p. xxi) — the 

 outcome of his correspondence with that botanist. 



t This in Index Kewensis is cited as of Alton, but as L'Heritier's name is 

 therein attached to the diagnosis, it would seem that he should be cited as the 

 authority. 



+ See Journ. Bot. 1905, 267-271. 



§ The note continues: "As well as of Dr. Eoxburgh's Plants of Coro- 

 mandel " ; the reference would be to vols. i. and ii. ; the third, published in 

 1819, was under the "general superintendence " of Brown (Misc. Works, ii. 

 pref.j. The earlier volumes contain no evidence that Dryander acted towards 

 them in an editorial capacity. 



{| This follows p. 530 and precedes the Index, and is thus liable to be 

 overlooked. 



