THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



81 



last, but not least, the beautiful Abies Douglasii; among shrubs, 

 the coloured Ribes ; and among border plants, Clarkias, 

 Escholfczias, Gaillardias, Godetias, Lupines, the musky Miniu- 

 ms, Pentstemons, and many other universal favourites. Douglas 

 subsequently visited the Sandwich Islands, where he was killed 

 by a bullock. It is unnecessary to refer in detail to the labours 

 of all the collectors who did good work for the Society, though 

 their names should be recorded. Mr. McRae was sent to Brazil 

 and Chili, whence he introduced the Araucaria ; Mr. John Potts 

 to India and China, and Mr. John Damper Parkes to China in 

 the third decade of the century. In 1836 Herr Theodor Hartweg 

 was dispatched to Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, &c, where he col- 

 lected a vast number of plants, 2,000 of which have been 

 described by the late Mr. Bentham in his " Piantaa Hartwegianae." 



The selection of Robert Fortune as a collector by the Society 

 in 1843 is a memorable event in its history. For not only did 

 he send home many beautiful and valuable plants, but his 

 employment by the Society led directly to the introduction of the 

 great tea industry into India, and subsequently into Ceylon and 

 other countries. This introduction has caused, as is well known, 

 a complete industrial revolution in Eastern Asia, and the transfer 

 of the bulk of the tea trade from China to India and Ceylon, 

 to the enormous advantage of our Indian Empire. It would 

 occupy too much time to give a list of Fortune's introductions ; 

 but mention may be made of Gardenia Fortunei, Dielytra 

 spectabilis, Wistaria sinensis alba, Berberis Fortunei, Weigela 

 rosea, Jasminum nudiflorum, Indigofera decora, Cryptomeria 

 japonica, Moutan or tree Pasonies, &c. It may be mentioned, as 

 evidence of the cost and value of this work, that Hartweg' s and 

 Fortune's expeditions alone cost the Society =£3,837 from 1841 

 to 1845. During this period there were distributed from 

 Chiswick 42,584 plants, 31,374 parcels of cuttings, 308,371 

 packets of seeds. The last collector employed by the Society 

 was Mr. John Weir, who went in 1861 to New Granada, whence 

 he sent several important consignments of Orchids before he 

 unfortunately fell a victim to the climate. 



A detailed account of the ups and downs of the Society 

 between the dates of the establishment of its gardens at Chiswick 

 and its move to South Kensington would be tedious and of little 

 interest. It would, however, enforce the lesson that societies, as 



