Botanical Gardens. . 53 
the earlieft times renowned for the produc- 
tion of medicinal herbs, was the phyfic-gar- 
den of Rome. The Emperors, we are told^ 
maintained in that ifland, herbarifts, and 
gardeners, to provide the phylicians of Rome 
with fimples. Cajior^ a Greek, praifed 
both by Pliny and Galen, is faid, not 
only to have written many volumes con- 
cerning plants, but to have had a garden at 
Rome^ in which, Pliny relates, that Cas- 
tor, at upwards of an hundred years of 
age, demonftrated plants, and taught him 
to diftinguiflj feveral rare and ufeful fpe- 
cies. 
The utility of thefe inftltutions are felf- 
evident. By public gardens, medicinal, 
plants are at the command of the teacher 
in every lefTon. By private ones, the eye, 
and the tafte of the opulent and fcientific 
owner, is perpetually gratified with the 
fucceffioa of curious, fcarce, and exotic 
luxuries j in comparing the doubtful fpecies, 
and examining them through all the ftages 
of growth, with thofe to which they are 
allied. Add to which, that all thefe ad- 
vantages are accumulated in a thoufand ob^ 
