

instance iof Sir George Grey, across the upper boundary of the garden 
to the eia of what is now New Street. Down the western side from 
this point ran an irregular sluit, dry ai iae, in summer, à roaring 
torrent sivi winter rains. It was to prese the boundary from 
. being was ut and encroached on that the edidit wall and its 
Cyclopean tates, which have become historic nuisances, were erected. 
Beyond this, from a point nearly opposite the Art Gallery, a scrubby 
~ hedge marked rather than defended the outline. A rude footway, or 
plank, spanned the sluit and pointed. the way to Keerom Street. Draper — 
laid out the land with some skill, seeing that it was nearly a perfect flat, ^ 
- and took advantage of such large trees ‘and plants as he found existing— 
relies of the old Dutch gardeners, Oldenburg and Ague. But the early 
records show that things were ^om ne in a very primitive way. Crops of 
potatoes os forage were grown by Draper and his coloured ee 
and sold on the market to assist the funds subscribed, and the Gov E 
ment im of 3002. per annum, and it was not until late in the iir. En 
1848 that the collection of plants was manna by purchase from the 
executors of Baron Von Ludwig of some of the stock accumulated by 
im. For reception of these, a small y ciet ging of quaint and orna- 
esign, resembling a birdeage, was constructed. It has only 
* 


"t with paper to the amount of 2507. They also took over the seed 
tock of Thomas Draper. — n began the seed-selling business which 
: t continued to the present year. In 1849, Karl Zeyher, the cele- 
; mes plamica collector, was added to the staff, to name hr label the 
i d euttings 
dod » bring i in bulbs and luta from the veld. He was also “ to prepare a 
* ‘Hortus siccus and seed collection, to instruct apprentices in theoretical 
* and practical botany, and attend to such visitors and strangers as 
* may require botanical information." ‘This highly scientific and extensive 
‘commission was rewarded with the wonderful stipend of 77. 10s. per month. 
~ The pecuniary position of the piace did not even allow of this small — 
tribute to science, so inadequately was the garden KE on st Govern- : 
ment. But the.garden was from the first supported y Gove rnment in 


he Cape, page 21, 8vo., 1887,” we find that “‘ The projectors found 
"1 iae ves obliged i in February, 1850, to dismiss Zeyher, whose quali- 
* fication was botanical knowledge rather than business aptitude, and fin 

. * when he wrote in reference to Zeyher, on his visit in 1851, that the 
-.* Committee had just ‘passed a resolution that their Botanic Garden 
s pos do without a botanist.’ " ‘To Zeyher succeeded James M*Gibbon, 
enterprising Scotchman, born at Elgin, and apprenticed i in the Duke 
of Sutherland's garden there. He ultimately married the daughter of 
Mr. Rennie, the Duke's bailiff A son of Rennie’s had enlisted, gained 






Ee to the Cape. By his influence, a place was found for 
- M‘Gibbon as Messenger to the Mixed Commission Court. After service 
. in this capacity he returned to his original occupation at the Botanic 
Garden, acceding Zeyher, but as gardener, not as botanist, March 
. 1850. During m uir period of his service up to 1881, he carried on — 
the business of t den with great ability and buie tact on à 
kind of medadi system with the Committee, and accumulated a 

