Ill 



ration of plants ; and his house in Wellclose Square was conspicuous for the 

 vegetation which surrounded it. But the deleterious atmospheric influ- 

 ences to which it was exposed subjected him to continual vexation and 

 disappointment ; and the only way in which he could maintain a fluctuating 

 appearance of freshness and verdure was by bringing back a renewed supply 

 of plants on the occasion of any visit to nursery grounds or the country. 

 In the summer of 1829, a solution of his difficulties presented itself. He 

 had placed the chrysalis of a moth in some mould in a glass bottle covered 

 with a lid, in order to obtain a perfect specimen of the insect ; after a time 

 a speck or two of vegetation appeared on the surface of the mould, and 

 turned out to be a fern and a grass. His interest was excited ; he placed 

 the bottle in a favourable situation and found that the plants continued to 

 grow and to maintain a healthy appearance. On reflecting upon the matter, 

 he found that the conditions necessary to the life of the plants were main- 

 tained, and deleterious agents, as soot, noxious gases, drying winds, &c, 

 were excluded. The first Wardian case gave rise to numerous others ; and in 

 two or three years the success of the plan was satisfactorily demonstrated. 

 In 1836 Mr. Ward wrote upon the subject to the late Sir W. Hooker; 

 and the letter was published in the Companion to the Botanical Magazine 

 for May of that year. In 1838 Mr. Faraday lectured upon the "cases" 

 at the Royal Institution; and subsequently Mr. Ward himself explained 

 his plan at various Societies and at Meetings of the British Association. 

 In 1842 the first edition of Mr. Ward's work on " The Growth of Plants 

 in Closely-glazed Cases " was published; and a second edition appeared 

 a few years later. 



It was soon recognized that Mr. Ward's method was susceptible of various 

 valuable applications, of which the following maybe noticed : — I . The growth 

 of plants in the dwellings of all classes, in town as well as country. 2. The 

 transport of plants to and from different countries : the tea-plant and 

 the cinchona-tree have by means of the Wardian cases become esta- 

 blished in India. 3. For purposes of philosophical investigation. 4. To 

 the study and conservation of animals : the Vivaria were first established 

 as a modification of the cases by Mr. Ward himself. 



When residing at Wellclose Square, Mr. Ward gave frequent microsco- 

 pical soirees. Out of these sprang the Microscopical Society in 1840, 

 Dr. Bowerbank and the late Messrs. Quekett and Jackson having also taken 

 part in its foundation. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 

 1852. In 1856, a large number of friends combined to recognize Mr. Ward's 

 services by having his portrait painted by J. P. Knight, R.A., and placed 

 in the meeting-room of the Linnean Society. 



The estimation in which the subject of this notice and his scientific ser- 

 vices were held by those best capable of forming an opinion, will be shown 

 by the following extracts from a letter written by Dr. Hooker to the editors 

 of a scientific journal : — 



" During the whole period that I knew Mr. Ward, and, I believe, for 



a 2 



