78 



HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF TREES. 



PART I. 



creased it, he will dispose of it." {Smith's Cor., vol. i. p. 93.) 

 Gordon commenced his nursery at Mile End in 175-; he dis- 

 posed of it in 1776, to his sons James and William, and died in 

 1780. In 1781 we find this nursery in the possession of James 

 Gordon, Thomas Dermer, and Archibald Thompson. James 

 Gordon died in 1794^, and Thomas Dermer in 1799, when Ar- 

 chibald Thompson came into possession of the whole. Mr. 

 Thompson died in 1832, and the business is now carried on by 

 his son James. Only a small part of the original ground is now 

 (1835) occupied as a nursery: but in the part that remains 

 there are some fine old specimens. What is believed to be the 

 oldest salisburia in England, the ginkgo tree above alkided to, 

 is 5 ft. 5 in. in circumference at 1 ft. from the ground, and 55 ft. 

 high. There are venerable specimens of magnolias, iaurus 

 Sassafras, the cork tree and other oaks, the liquidambar both 

 species, ailantus, gymnocladus, and many others, with some of 

 the largest plants of green tea growing in the open air in Eng- 

 land. A list of the more remarkable of these trees and shrubs, 

 with their dimensions taken in 1831, will be found in the GanL 

 Mag. for the following year, vol. viii. p. 250. ; and subsequent 

 measurements of several of them taken in January, 1835, will 

 be found in the same magazine, vol. xi. 



Of the Hunts of Putney we know little, except that their 

 names appear among the authors of the Catalogue of the trees 

 and shrubs grown in the London nurseries in the year 1730. 

 The nursery at Putney was little known in our time, and the 

 stock was sold off, and the ground advertised to be let for 

 building on, in December, ISS^. 



James Lee was born at Selkirk in 1715, and, about twenty 

 years afterwards, walked to London. When he was at Lichfield 

 he was seized with the smallpox, and detained there some time. 

 When he recovered, and came to London, he was employed at 

 Syon, and afterwards at Whitton by the Duke of Argyle. About 

 the year 1760 he entered into partnership with Lewis Kennedy, 

 gardener to Lord Bolton, at Chiswick, and commenced a 

 nursery in what was called the Vineyard, at Hammersmith. At 

 the beginning of the last century, this vineyard produced annually 

 a considerable quantity of Burgundy wine. A thatched house 

 was built in the grounds, the upper part occupied as a dwelling- 

 house and for selling the wine, and underneath were the wine- 

 cellars. Lee was patronised by the Earl of Islay (afterwards 

 Duke of Argyle), the planter of Whitton, who died in 1761; 

 and other noblemen : he corresponded with Linnaeus, and com- 

 posed an Bitroduction to Botany, according to his system, pub- 

 lished in 1760, which for many years was'in the highest repute. 

 He died in the year 1795, at the age of 80 years; his partner, 

 Kennedy, having died previously. The nursery was carried on 



