126 FIRST JOURNEY IN EUROPE. [1839, 



Thursday evening. ... To commence where I broke 

 off with Tuesday. We went to dine, by appointment, 

 with Mr. Ward, the plant-ease man, at three P. M., 

 which hour was appointed for the purpose of showing 

 us the plant-cases, etc., by daylight. Ward is one of 

 the most obliging men I ever knew. I was perhaps a 

 little disappointed in his plants, but this is the very 

 worst season of the year, particularly in London, and 

 his house, which is in the heart of the city, near Lon- 

 don Docks, is very badly situated as to light. But I 

 have learned something from him, and feel confident 

 that I shall be able to manage our plant-cases much 

 better hereafter. Menzies was there, and a truly kind- 

 hearted old man he is. I was to have returned in 

 time to spend the evening at Bentham's, but owing to 

 the stormy weather I did not reach my lodgings till it 

 was too late. On Friday (a snowy day) I was out 

 rather late; went to Bentham's, where I spent the 

 whole morning, dined with him and Mrs. Bentham, 

 three in all ! — they have no children, and live in the 

 most cosy and quiet way you could imagine — and 

 spent the whole evening with him in labeling plants 

 which he selected for me from his duplicates. To-day, 

 Joseph Hooker having concluded to postpone till this 

 evening his departure for Glasgow, and having writ- 

 ten accordingly to Ward to meet us, we visited the 

 famous greenhouses and conservatories of Loddiges. 

 Miss Maria Hooker was with us, having come out 

 from Hampstead for the purpose. It is rather a long 

 ride to Hackney, but we were well repaid. The col- 

 lection of Orchidese is immense and very beautiful, but 

 a very small portion is now in flower. The palm- 

 house, ample and magnificent as it is, rather disap- 

 pointed me ; it seemed not so much larger than that 



