76 THE ORCHID REVIEW. [APRIL, 1917. 
gift of fortune, but he went thither from Norwich on his own responsibility, 
provided with a single letter of recommendation from his amiable friend, 
William Hooker. To remain there, especially during the critical period of 
the arrangement of Sir Joseph Banks’ library, was a sad task; and for a 
long time the young interloper found no favour, on account of his having 
introduced, in conjunction with the reserved Scot, Brown, the bold 
zoologist, Gray, and the still youthful Hooker, the natural system of the 
hated Frenchman, where the more numerous disciples of Linnzus had 
thought to pass their lives in the glory of pondering and admiring the great 
Swede. 
Lindley possessed, moreover, extraordinarily fine powers of observation, 
very uncommon energy, a brilliant talent for drawing, an acute and truthful 
discrimination, and a happy, appropriate, even poetical style of description, 
which, however, from want of time, he never fully developed. This 
circumstance, too, was the cause of some shortcomings in his monographs. 
The more thoroughly he carried out his first examination, the more he 
considered himself justified in making it the basis of future work. Hence he 
freely took up his old descriptions, and even diagnoses, without alteration; 
and if the materials were insufficient, the results must be still more 
doubtful ; but he was ever ready to defend himself with a repetition of his 
first views, if his statements were questioned. Much too honest not to 
acknowledge with ‘pleasure his errors, if discovered by himself, he was not 
always inclined to be just respecting the representations of others. I 
remember well the case of Calanthe vestita, Wall., whose Epidendrous 
affinities he laughingly refused to study with me from fresh specimens, 
adding, with that humour so characteristic of him: ‘I will never look at 
that stupid plant again.”” It isa remarkable fact that Lindley permitted 
himself to be led by the gardening world, although he was honoured as the 
leader. It was my wish that the union of several genera, rendered 
necessary by the connecting links of new discoveries, should be done by 
himself, especially as I was perfectly satisfied that he recognised the 
necessity for it as fully as I did. ‘‘I should have all the amateurs up in 
arms against me,” he replied. ‘‘ They have had bother enough to get the 
existing names into their heads.” He did not fall into the easy course of 
allowing those gentlemen to retain their own nomenclature. 
I am inclined to believe that Lindley did not possess to a very high 
degree the gift of at once recognising what he had seen before—a gift that 
greatly facilities the labours of the systematist. ‘‘ Let us examine it first,” 
he used to say, when we were looking at anything—and who investigated 
with more pleasure? The mere sight of his favourite, always brightly 
shining, simple ‘‘ Ross,” was sufficient to raise his spirits. Happy as 4 
child, and oblivious of all cares, he would prepare and draw the most 
