VISIT TO PAEIS 177 
on December 14, 1843), for ' Bennett^ [his assistant] would in 
all human probability outlive and succeed him.' In November 
1844 came news of a vacant Curatorship of the Botanical 
Gardens at Sydney, but this would hardly suit his views, even 
even if the salary were better. In the course of the winter 
came the proposal to lecture for Professor Graham at Edinburgh, 
with a fair prospect of succeeding him in the Botanical chair. 
The story of this is told in the next chapter. 
In the meanwhile, Hooker proceeded to fulfil his intention 
of seeing the chief Continental botanists, and comparing their 
Gardens and collections with those of Kew. He hoped also to 
effect exchanges of specimens and living plants. 
Midwinter certainly was not the ideal season for such a visit, 
but Schomburgk,2 another distinguished traveller, was going to 
Germany, and promised to act as his J chaperon ' there ; more- 
over, any permanent appointment at home might interfere 
for a long time with further travel, which in itself was one 
passport to good society in such a place as Edinburgh. And 
at this moment it would involve no delay in his book ; the next 
two monthly parts were ready for press. He planned an 
extensive journey, including a visit to * a man of the name of 
Alexander Braun, who has written on the development of 
leaves and branches in a spiral direction, and who has developed 
the laws of their develo'pment and future directions on the plant. 
Mr. Brown thinks Braun a very first rate man, though a little 
known one, and considers him as well worth my seeing as any 
man abroad.' (To D. Turner, January 26, 1845. Cf . p. 425n). 
But Sir William warned him that all the time at his dis- 
posal would be taken up with seeing what was to be seen at 
1 John Joseph Bennett (1801-76), botanist, was Robert Bro\\Ti's assistant 
in charge of the Banksian Herbarium and Library on its transfer to the 
British Museum in 1827, succeeding him as keeper in 1858. He was secre- 
tary to the Linneaa Society, 1840-60; F.R.S. 1841 ; and published various 
botanical papers. 
* Probably Sir Robert Schomburgk (1804-65), discoverer of the Victoria 
Regia lily, who was knighted at the end of 1844 on his return from his three 
years' travel delimiting the frontiers of British Guiana. His brother Richard, 
who had accompanied him as botanist, had returned to Germany in 1842. 
After the political troubles of 1848, he fled to Australia, where he cultivated the 
vine with great success, and in 1866 became director of the botanical gardens 
at Adelaide. He survived till 1890. 
