38 o 
PROFESSOR OWEN 
CH. XI. 
Catherine, Owen mentions that he attended a 
Levee on February 25, 1852, and ‘went through 
the crush with the Duke of Northumberland. 
He talked a good deal about the Kew house, 
and I think will prove a very kind neigh- 
bour. ... In the evening we went to one of 
Ellas concerts, and we brought home Prince 
Alberts Librarian (Dr. Becker) to supper. He 
told Caroline the Queen and Prince Albert had 
more than once talked about the Kew house, 
and hoped it would suit me.’ 
Professor Owen would often relate how upon 
one occasion he went down to Kew to look at the 
new residence, and when he got to the front door 
and intended going in to make arrangements about 
the furnishing, a Scotch ‘body,’ the caretaker, 
came forward and told him he could not come 
in, and that he must put off the furnishing ar- 
rangements for a while. It appeared that some 
little difficulty had arisen with the then King of 
Hanover about the right of possession of the 
premises, which right it was in time proved that 
Her Majesty the Queen did possess. But in 
the meantime Jesse the naturalist, who resided 
in the neighbourhood, told Owen that the house 
in Richmond Park (Sheen Lodge) was vacant. 
After having seen it, Owen immediately went 
off to Osborne, where the Royal Family were. 
When he arrived there he found Prince Albert 
planning out the grounds so as best to instruct 
