85 
Cumberland for her life. It was "> on the Duke’s accession to 
the u ne of Hanover that it became known as the * King of 
Hanover’s House.” He resided in it ai but after his 
death 1 it quero unoccupied. 
“ When, therefore, in 1841, Sir William Hooker was appointed 
Director of the reorganized Botanic Garden, he found himself 
destitute of even an official commencement of the two essential 
The 
part, agreed to rent a neighbouring house, een s known as 
est Park, for their accommodation, and as a residence for the 
Director, “there being no suitable house belonging to the Crown 
vacant at the time. Jn 1852, though still en his nn 
roperty, the Director's herbarium and part of his library wer 
removed to the present building. Its np for the ech 
of the library and herbarium dates from 
“In the same year the een of an official library at 
Kew was made by the gift, by Miss Bromfield, of the botanical 
books of her ires brother, Dr. W. A. Bromfield ; ; its especial 
feature was the number of fine copies, chosen with fastidious taste, 
of the earlier Boites authors. nm was followed in 1854 by 
the gift c. late George Bent , Esq., C.M.G., F.R.S., from 
the 
1861 to 1874 President of the yide Society, of his fine 
botanical library, which was very complete in ‘what may be 
ealled ‘ working books.’ 
* [n 1867 (after his death) the Treasury sanctioned the purchase 
of such of Sir W. Hooker's books as were wanting in the library, 
and which, though the establishment had had the use of them, 
were not its property. "These included many scarce and costly 
books which rarely come into the market, and had been procured 
with much trouble and expense on the continent ; there was also 
à valuable collection of travels. At the date of his decease Sir W. 
Hooker was the possessor of the finest private botanical library in 
existence, the result of nearly sixty years' assiduous collecting. 
Through this ee the Kew library was more than doubled 
in extent. . 
“These three important acquisitions formed the backbone of 
the present library. Gaps have been gradually filled up by 
subsequent gifts and bequests. A number of volumes mostly 
relating to Cryptogamic Botany were ibo in 1887 from the 
late Rev. M. J. Berkeley, F.R.S. The most important bequest 
i the 
was rich in works elige to the European er and in Son 
copies of books mainly collected in Italy. 
* In 1892 Thomas Hanbury, Esq., of La Mortola, Ventimiglia, 
Italy, Wem e an important dtc of books from the library 
of his rother, Daniel Hanbury, F.R.S., the well-known 
pharmaco. mad 
* In 1877 the interior of Hunter House was remodelled in order 
to give more convenient accommodation for the library. 
