XIV 
INTRODUCTION 
has been accomplished under his capable hand. And having read 
his proofs I find nothing to criticise, and can but admire the ability 
with which he has marshalled a vast mass of information never 
before brought together, and told a story with words of befitting 
gravity and simplicity which is to me of the deepest interest, and, I 
am persuaded, can be scarcely less interesting to its other readers. 
These few words would be sufficient to introduce those who have 
worthily taken part in the production of the book. But, looking 
back upon Kew in a long retrospect, I may summarise some of the 
salient impressions which emerge from the mass of detail. Amongst 
our scientific institutions, Kew stands out with a history which is 
almost august. And it is characteristic of English tradition that 
its present constitution is the outcome of an almost inevitable evolu- 
tion. Circumstance has made it, and this has given it a stability 
which it would not have possessed if it had been the creation of the 
moment, however logical. 
Outside the metropolis there is probably no spot which has seen 
so much of our history as the piece of ground included within the 
bend of the Thames which lies between Kew and Richmond bridges. 
Successive dynasties made it their residence, first in its southern 
and then in its northern portion. Henry VII. built the palace at 
Richmond, in which his successor entertained the Emperor Charles V. 
Queen Mary lived there, and in it Elizabeth signed the death- 
warrant of Mary Queen of Scots, and died herself. Her Court, on 
their way to London by Brentford Ferry, must have passed along 
Love Lane, which traversed the Gardens. Here was the original 
hamlet of Kew, which in Hanoverian times was moved eastwards 
round Kew Green. The etymology of the name is obscure, but the 
earliest form, Kayhough, was perhaps derived from the landing-place 
of the ferry. Midway, at Ormonde Lodge, George II. gave Sir Robert 
Walpole a rough reception when he was roused to hear of his accession 
to the throne, and it was in the adjoining gardens that Sir Walter 
Scott placed the interview of Jeanie Deans with Queen Caroline, 
one of the most capable of our queens. At Kew itself was the 
