Ixiii 
West Park and Kew, 1841-1865. 
Joseph Banks, of sending collectors to distant countries for the 
purpose of transmitting plants and seeds to the Royal Gardens ; 
and by way of lightening the demand on the Treasury 
he on several occasions, with the Commissioners’ approval, 
invited the Duke of Northumberland and the Earl of Derby 
to contribute to such expeditions and share the produce. At 
the same time, through his influence at the Admiralty, he 
obtained the privilege of having all packages addressed to 
Kew coming by the Royal Mail West India steam packet sent 
freight free. By these means Mr. Purdie was sent to New 
Grenada, and Burke and Geyer to California and Oregon, 
with the most satisfactory results to all parties ; and by 
similar arrangements with the Treasury, Foreign, Indian, and 
Colonial Offices there were subsequently sent Oldham and 
Wilfred to Japan, Formosa, and Corea, Mann to the Came- 
roons, Gaboon River, and Fernando Po, Baikie and Barter to 
the Niger, Kirk to the Zambesi with Livingstone, Meller to 
East Africa and Madagascar, myself to the Himalaya, 
Bourgeau to Canada, Lyall to British Columbia, Edmon- 
stone, followed by Seemann, to Western and Arctic America 
in H.M.S. Herald , and the latter to the Fiji Islands with 
Col. Smythe's mission, Macgillivray to Torres Straits in 
H.M.S. Rattlesnake , Milne to the Pacific in H.M.S. Herald , 
Spruce to Ecuador for Cinchona seeds, and Hewett Watson 
to the Azores. The practice was definitely abandoned when 
the great nurserymen took it up, and liberally shared their 
proceeds with Kew in exchange for its Director’s services in 
indicating countries worth exploring, giving the collectors 
letters of recommendation to his correspondents abroad, 
naming and publishing their novelties and rarities, &c. 
In 1844 my father was instructed to prepare a Guide-book 
to the Gardens for sale at the entrance, and to make an annual 
Report on the progress and condition of the Gardens, to be laid 
before Parliament. The first edition of the Guide-book con- 
tains fifty-six pages and sixty-one woodcuts of objects exhi- 
bited. It was entitled £ Kew Gardens, or a Popular Guide to 
the Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew,’ by Sir W. J. Hooker, 
