CHAP. II. 



BRITISH ISLANDS. 



15 



The botanic garden at Kew was established in 1760 by the 

 Princess Dowager of Wales. A catalogue was published in 

 1768 by Dr. Hill; and a more scientific one by Mr. William 

 Aiton in 1789, a second edition of which appeared in 1810. 

 William Aiton died in 1793, aged 62. He was some time 

 assistant to Philip Miller, at Chelsea, and was recommended to 

 the princess dowager in 1759. In 1783 he was appointed to 

 the care of the pleasure-grounds and kitchen-garden at Kew. 

 The Aitonz'a is named after him. He was succeeded by his son, 

 Wm. Townsend Aiton, the present royal gardener there. Kew 

 is more especially interesting to the planter of trees, from its 

 arboretum having been one of the very first that was formed in 

 Britain ; and, though many of the species are now lost, and it 

 does not contain more than a fourth part of what are to be found 

 in the Horticultural Society's garden and in the arboretum of the 

 Messrs. Loddiges, there are still existing there many fine speci- 

 mens. Dr. James Sherard's botanical garden at Eltham, in 

 which he was assisted by Dillenius, was established in the first 

 years of this century, but declined at Dr. Sherard's death in 

 1737; and, in 1795, nothing remained of it but a fine cedar of 

 Lebanon close to the house, and a few other trees and shrubs. 

 This cedar measured, at the above period, 9 ft. in circum- 

 ference, at 3 ft. from the ground; and in 1801 it had increased 

 in circumference 6^ inches. [Lysons.) Dr. James Sherard was 

 the brother of Dr. William Sherard, an eminent botanist, and 

 author of several works, who was travelling tutor for many years 

 to several English noblemen, and afterwards British consul at 

 Smyrna, near which he had a fine country house and garden, 

 from which he sent home many seeds and plants. This brother 

 founded the botanical professorship at Oxford, and gave to that 

 establishment his botanical library, and his herbarium. He was 

 the patron of Mark Catesby and of Dr. Dillenius. 



Mr. William Curtis, author of the Botanical Magazine, first 

 established a small botanic garden at Bermondsey. In 1771 he 

 formed one on a more extensive scale at Lambeth Marsh. In 

 1789 he removed his plants to Brompton, where he died in 

 1799, aged 53 years. His partner, and successor, Mr. William 

 Salisbury, removed this garden to Cadogan Place, Sloane Street, 

 where an arboretum was planted, and the grounds are now 

 (1835) occupied as a subscription garden and as a nursery. 



A private botanic garden w'as founded at Twickenham about 

 1789, by William Swainson, the proprietor of some popular 

 vegetable medicines. It contained every tree and shrub that 

 could be procured at the time in the British nurseries, and was 

 kept up in the very first style of order and neatness till Mr. 

 Swainson's death in 1806. It is now the property of Mrs. Can- 

 ham, and is managed by Mr. Robert Castles, an enthusiastic 

 lover of plants, and an excellent man. 



