486 LKTT^BRS FROM ENGLAND. 



up to the public ; and it is wholly owing to the spirited administra- 

 tion of Sir Williain HooKer — so well known in, both hemispheres 

 for his botanical science — ^that it has lately reached , so high, a rank 

 among botanical collections. Originally, the place is interesting,. as 

 having been the favorite suburban residence 'of various branches of 

 the royal family. . George III. liv:ed her^^; and here Queen Char- 

 lotte died. The bptanical taste of the latter is well known, and 

 has been commemorated in that striking and beautiful plant, the 

 StreUteia; narped in her honor* by Sir Joseph Banks. For a 

 long time the garden was the receptacle of nil the rare plants col- 

 lected by English travellers — Capt. Cook, Sir Joseph Banks, Cun- 

 ningham, aind others. What.was formerly of little value has, how- 

 ever, lately become a matter of national pride ; and this is owing 

 to the fact, (that the present queen has wholly given Kew up to the 

 public, even adding a considerable sum annually frorh her private ■ 

 purse towards maintaining it. The old " Kew Palace," which 

 stands in the grounds, is a small, simple, brick mansion, withou^the 

 least pretension to- state, ^nd shows very conclusively that those of 

 the Hanover family who lived here did it from real attachment to 

 the place — like Queen Charlotte, from love of botany ; as there is 

 nothingabout it to. please the tastes of an ambitious mind. 



As Kew has been already described by one of the correspond- 

 ents of this journal, I shall not go into those details which might 

 Otljerwise be, looked for. I shall rather prefer , to give you a. com- 

 prehensive idea of the attractions of the place^ which, though about 

 eight miles from London, was visited, last year by one hundred-and 

 thirtyTseven thousand persons. The only requisite for admission is 

 to be deceptly dressed. , ■ :. 



When you hear of a garden, in America, you fancy some little 

 place, filled with borders and beds, of shrubs and flowers, and laid 

 out with. walks in various styles. Dispossess your mind at once, 

 however, of any such notions as applied to Kew. Fancy, ori the 

 other hand, a,; surface of about two hundred acres ; about, sixty qf 

 which is the bot?inic garden proper, and the rest open park or plea- 

 sure-grounds. The ground-svork of the whole is turf; that is, 



* She was Prineess of the house of Mecklenberg^ Strelitz. 



