402 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 4, lc8^. 
phrases on the other he avoided himself and abhorred in others. 
His advice to young men was, “ Employ just as many words 
as make your meaning clear and no more, and if you have a 
choice of long and unusual words, and of short and simple, 
always choose the latter.” In his work of revision the 
articles of young gardeners striving to do their best had the 
same consideration as those of contributors of experience and 
higher station in life, and he would allow no one, however 
eminent, to say “ smart things ” with the object of causing 
pain to an opponent, though no one admired sprightly, 
harmless, legitimate retorts better than he did. Young 
writers he especially protected from keen criticism, and his 
practice has never been departed from ; experienced contro¬ 
versialists he considered quite able to take care of them¬ 
selves. As writers, all persons were on an equality in Mr. 
Johnson’s estimation, their productions alone being regarded. 
He would sometimes remark, “ When a man tries to look 
wise beyond his capacity he only reveals his want of know¬ 
ledge ; and when a man, however great, attempts to magnify 
his greatness, he succeeds in making himself look less than 
before, but he cannot see it.” His epigrammatic observa¬ 
tions, which were various, invariably embodied some home 
truth as in the sentence quoted. 
An example of Mr. Johnson’s thoughtful style and 
felicitous expression may be taken at random from bis 
voluminous writings. “ There is not,” he has recorded, “ in 
the whole of the arts and sciences, one link of their circle so 
suitable for the occupation of man in a state of innocency as 
that which embraces the cultivation of plants; and it is an 
instance of the beneficent providence of the Deity that He 
assigned a garden as the [dwelling of our first created parents. 
It is no consequence of the fall of Adam that plants require 
cultivation ; he was placed in Paradise to till and to keep it. 
Then the weed had not sprung up to render the tillage toil¬ 
some. Fruit trees which God had ‘ planted ’ were the chief 
objects of care; and it was an employment without labour; 
combining the preservation of health with amusement; pure 
without insipidity ; constant without sameness. From that 
peiiod gardens have never ceased to engage the attention of 
man ; and even now that their labours are manifold, they 
still afford the * purest of human pleasures.’ Whether as a 
private individual man regulates his garden—or with more 
extended benefit cultivates his farm—still he participates in 
pleasure combined with utility, and whilst his time is agreeably 
occupied, he is benefiting mankind.” 
That citation from Mr. Johnson’s writings not only 
shows his manner of expression, but is typical of his busy 
and active life—the acquirement of knowledge as a congenial 
occupation, in orderjthat he could distribute it for the benefit 
of mankind. 
The following narrative'of his life and literary career was 
prepared and published in 1881 ; it is reproduced'now, with 
a striking likeness of Mr. Johnson, and we feel assured will 
be acceptable to new readers and old friends alike at the 
present time. 
For upwards of half a century the name of Mr. G. W. Johnson 
has been associated with the gardening literature of this country. 
So early as the year 1826 we find him communicating articles to 
“ Loudon's Gardener’s Magazine,” and in 1829 he published his 
“ History of Gardening,” which is the most complete work on 
the subject up to the date of its appearance which has been 
written in the English language. 
Mr. George William Johnson was the younger brother of the 
late Mr. Cuthbert William Johnson, the well-known writer on 
agricultural subjects. They were the sons of Mr. Wm. Johnson 
of Widmore House in Kent, where the eldest son was born. Mr. 
G. W. Johnson was born at Blackheath in Kent, 5th of November, 
1802. He was descended from a Durham family long settled at 
Loup and Cainrow in that county. His grandfather came to 
London early in the last century, where he established himself as 
a goldsmith and banker, and having amassed a large fortune he 
was at the time of his death in 1790 possessed of Easby Abbey 
in Yorkshire, Welders, near Chalfont St. Giles, in Buckingham¬ 
shire, and the Yauxhall Distillery (now Messrs. Burnetts) in 
Surrey. Mr. G. W. Johnson’s father inherited the Vauxhall 
Distillery and the Buckinghamshire property with a share of the 
personal estate, while his uncle succeeded to Easby Abbey and a 
competency. Some changes in the excise laws by which the 
trade of the English distillers was injuriously affected induced 
Mr. Johnson to dispose of the distillery, and being a man ot 
active mind and great ingenuity he embarked in various commer¬ 
cial speculations, of which the celebrated Colebrookdale China 
Works was one. After some years he retired from these, and 
eventually established the Salt Works at Hey bridge in Essex. 
Here it was that his two sons, Cuthbert and George, found an 
occupation suitable to their natural inclinations, for early in li e 
both brothers evinced a strong predilection for the study ot prac¬ 
tical chemistry and the cultivation of the soil. _ The Salt Woiks 
enabled them to carry out those experiments in the application 
of salt as a manure, which culminated in a work by Mi. 
Cuthbert Johnson entitled “ The Uses of Salt in Agriculture. 
One of their most important discoveries was a method for the 
separation of the sulphate of magnesia or Epsom salt from sea 
water, by which the price _ of the article was very mucn 
reduced. . , 
We have already stated that Mr. Johnson’s connection with 
the gardening press began in 1826, but before'this he had written 
articles for the Essex Standard, published at Chelmsford. His 
first communication to “ Loudon’s Magazine ” was u P°ii The 
Employment of Salt as a Manure in Gardening. In the same 
journal he began in 1827 a series of papers entitled 1 Outlines ot 
Horticultural Chemistry,” which extended over two volumes. 
His first independent work was “ A History of English Garden¬ 
ing, Chronological, Biographical, Literary, and Critical, pub- 
lished in 1829. It contains a vast amount of information, and 
exhibits great patience and research on the part of the author. 
In addition to the record of almost every work on gardening 
which has issued from the press in this country, together with 
their various editions, there is a short biographical sketch of the 
authors, rendering the book full of interest. Mr. Johnson used 
to tell an anecdote in connection with this work which afforded 
him great amusement. Some years ago he called at the shop ot 
Pamplin, a second-hand bookseller in Frith Street, Soho, and 
inquired for a particular edition of a certain work, which the 
bookseller told him never existed. “It is mentioned in Johnson s 
‘ History of Gardening,’ ” said Mr. Johnson mildly. “ Ah, said 
Pamplin, “ that is not a book of much authority.” “ I am aware, 
said Mr. Johnson, “ that it has many faults, for I am the authoi 
of it! ” 
While still continuing his connection with the Salt Works Mr. 
Johnson devoted all his spare time to the pursuit of literature 
and the cultivation of science. At great Totham where he resided 
he conducted experiments in gardening, and especially in the 
aop ication of substances as manure. But the versatility of his 
mind led him to other pursuits, and he, after great research, 
wrote a “History of Great Totham,” which was printed by Mr. 
Charles Clarke, at his private press in the village, in 1831. 
This work is now extremely scarce, and is eagerly sought after 
by collectors at prices the mention of which provoked a smile on 
the author’s countenance. During his researches at the reading 
room at the British Museum while the “History of. Great Totham” 
was in progress Mr. Johnson discovered that one Edward Good- 
shaft had left an estate for the benefit of the poor of the parishes 
of Great Totham and Little Braxted in Essex. .This benefaction 
had for many years been diveited, and the parishes which were 
interested in it were ignorant of its existence. It was through 
Mr. Johnson discovering an extract from the will of Goodshaft 
that the property was restored. In 1835 he published a memoir 
of John Selden, which was dedicated to the late Earl of Derby 
when he was Lord Stanley. In 1839 the two brothers edited an 
edition of Paley’s works with very copious notes, the ‘ Natural 
Theology” being undertaken by Mr. C. W. Johnson, and the 
“ Evidences of Christianity” by Mr. G. W. Johnson. The latter 
having for some time been reading for the bar, was called by the 
Society of Gray's Inn in 1839, and then he proceeded to India 
when Lord Auckland became Governor-General.. He was ap¬ 
pointed Professor of Moral and Political Economy in the Hindoo 
College at Calcutta, and besides being co editor of the Englishman 
newspaper, he edited the Government Gazette for Lord Auckland. 
His residence in Calcutta did not extend heyond three years, 
and he returned to England in 1842, when he wrote Ihe 
Stranger in India,” in two vols., which was published by Colburn 
in 1843. 
Before starting for India Mr. Johnson had been consulted by 
the churchwardens of Braintree in Essex on the question of a 
rate for the repair of the church which had fallen into disrepair. 
This became a question of great public importance, and it was 
on Mr. Johnson’s advice that the churchwardens imposed the 
rate. The church was in a very dilapidated state, so much so as 
to be thorouerhlv unsafe. The churchwarden, a Mr. Velly, sum- 
