HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



It was on the 7th of March, 1804, in a room in the 

 house of Mr. Hatchard, the eminent bookseller in Piccadilly, 

 that the Society was first organised. On that occasion there 

 were present, Mr. Charles Greville, Sir Joseph Banks, Mr. 

 Eichard Anthony Salisbury a distinguished botanist of the 

 day, Messrs. W. T. Aiton and W. Forsyth two of the then 

 royal gardeners, Mr. James Dickson an experienced practical 

 gardener, and Mr. John Wedgwood at whose suggestion it 

 appears that the meeting was called and who afterwards became 

 the first Treasurer. 



It was resolved that the objects of the new Society should 

 be " to collect every information respecting the culture and treat- 

 ment of all plants and trees, as weU culinaiy as ornamental ; " 

 "to foster and encourage every branch of Horticulture, and all 

 the arts connected with it ; " and " that it shall be considered 

 within the intention of the Society to give premiums for improve- 

 ments in Horticultm-e, wherever it should be judged expedient 

 to do so." Each of the gentlemen present at this first meeting 

 paid one guinea towards defraying preliminary expenses, and 

 were called founders, to whom was afterwards added Mr. J. 

 Hawkins, who had been accidentally absent. It was further 

 agreed that each founder should name, at the next meeting, 

 three other gentlemen for election as Oeiginal Members. A 

 week afterwards this was carried into effect ; and thus was 

 founded the Hoi-ticultiu-al Society of London, an association 

 destined to accomplish most important improvements in the 

 art, as weU as science, of gardening, to embellish the country 

 with a vegetation of exquisite beauty before unheard of, to clothe 



