358 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Februaby 10. 
course with many young people of the neiglibouring 
families, to whom the house at Etruria was always most 
j hospitably open. Daring the years 1789 and 1790, my 
I father resided abroad, spending one winter at Paris, and 
another at Rome. On returning to England, he con¬ 
tinued at Etruria, assisting his father as before, till 1793, 
when he formed an affection for Miss Louisa Jane 
Allen, of Cresselly, Pembrokeshire, whose elder sister 
had previously become Mr. Josiah Wedgewood's wife, 
and was accepted by her, and their marriage shortly 
afterwards took place. By her he had a family of four 
sons and three daughters, and I may with truth say, 
that a happier union never took place, nor continued to 
the last with a warmer and more undeviating affection 
on both sides. 
“ After my father’s marriage he resided some time at 
Tallaton; then for a few years in Devonshire Place, 
London. Then he bought a place called Cote House, on 
Durdham Downs, near Clifton. Here he continued till 
the beginning of 1805, when, in consequence of the 
ill-success of a banking house in London, that of 
Messrs. Davidson, Noel, Templer, Middleton, aud 
Wedgwood, in which he had unfortunately embarked 
the larger part of the fortune which he inherited from 
his father, he was compelled to sell the place, and retired 
with greatly diminished means to Maer Hall, in Stafford¬ 
shire, and then to Etruria Hall, where he remained till 
the end of 1810. From this time ray father lived in 
various places; at Fleavitree, near Exeter; at Betley, in 
Staffordshire; at Kingscote, in Gloucestershire; at the 
Hill, near Abergaveney, in Monmouthshire; and lastly, 
at Seabridge, near Newcastle, in Staffordshire. In 1843, 
he was affected with a partial failure of eye-sight, owing 
to a paralytic affection of the optic nerve, and in con¬ 
sequence of this privation was obliged to give up the 
pursuit of gardening, to which he had always been 
ardently devoted, and took up his residence for the few 
remaining months of his life, with his second son, 
Lieut.-Col. Wedgewood, then married, residing in Tenby. 
“ Wherever my father lived, he took the greatest 
plcasiu’e in his garden, aud at Cote House, especially, 
his gardens, both out-of-doors aud under glass, were 
kept in the highest order. And even after his greatly 
diminished means prevented him during the remainder 
of his life from an expensive mode of culture, he never 
failed to make his garden, both kitchen and flower- 
garden, the admiration of all who saw them. My 
father, I may, perhaps, observe, was particularly fond of 
his kitchen-garden during the latter part of bis life, 
even preferring it to his flower-garden, and by his 
regular and judicious arrangement of crops was emi¬ 
nently successful in producing a very abundant aud 
excellent supply of vegetables from the limited space 
he had usually at command. 
“ My father was originally, as his parents had been, a 
Unitarian dissenter, but as far back as I can remember, 
he was a sound evangelical churchman. In politics, he 
was, by inheritance, and from personal conviction, a 
staunch Whig. But no one could bo more loyal, nor 
more attached to the constitution of his country. Of my 
father’s character and personal qualities, I may, perhaps, 
as a son, be suspected of undue partiality, if I expressed 
myself as warmly as I felt. But I feel sure that not 
only his own family, but every one who enjoyed his 
acquaintance, will bear me out in testifying to his un¬ 
varying sweetness of temper, kindness of heart, and 
generous disposition; and to his eminently modest, 
retiring, and unselfish nature. He was well read in 
botany, viz., in the Linnsean system, then in vogue, ! 
but not unacquainted with the natural system also, i 
knowing Mons. Decandolle’s works, and having the ad- j 
vantage also of his personal acquaintance. He also had 
a considerable experimental knowledge of chemistry, 
and was not deficient in a knowledge of geology or 
mineralogy, in which subject he was much interested. 
He was also extremely fond of music, and was so far a 
proficient in it, that he used to perform in concerted 
pieces on the violoncello. 
“ It was during bis residence at Cote House that my 
father, as I always understood from him, first suggested 
the plan of a Horticultural Society, which afterwards, 
under the able presidency of W. Knight, of Downton 
Castle, Mr. Sabine, and other able and influential col¬ 
leagues, ripened into the Horticultural Society of 
London, of which Society my father was a fellow to 
the day of his death.” 
Mr. Wedgewood’s letters to Mr. Forsyth extended over 
the years between the early part 1799, aud the close of 
1804, but they relate chiefly to gardening topics, of in¬ 
terest only to himself 
The first notice of any proposition to found an in¬ 
stitution for the promotion of gardening, occurs in this 
letter, dated from Etruria, June 29th, 1801. 
I have been turning my attention to the formation of a 
Horticultural Society, and have drawn up such heads as 
have appeared to me necessary for the first formation of the 
Society. It would be proper to add a preamble just stating 
the ideas of the first founders of the Society, and intimating 
that we wish to clash with no Society at present instituted, 
whose plans are different from ours. By this means we 
shall give no offence to any party. By not landing ourselves 
to publish annually, we shall not be obliged to expose our¬ 
selves to the world in an imperfect state, by publishing j 
papers not worth making public. When you have read the ' 
enclosed, I shall be happy to have your opinion on it. | 
P.S. If you should see Sir Joseph Banks, will you be so j 
good as to ask him his opinion of the plan, and learn how | 
far we might have a chance of having his patronage of the 
scheme. j 
That a Society be formed, to be called The Horticul¬ 
tural Society. 
That the object of this Society shall be to collect every 
information respecting the culture and treatment of all 
plants and trees, as well culinary as ornamental. 
That every new member shall be ballotted, after a Society 
of — original members has been formed, and that every 
such member at his admission shall pay one guinea besides 
his annual subscription. 
That a certain number of honorary members may be 
elected, who shall be admitted to the sittings of the society 
without paying any subscriptions. That two hlack-balls be 
sufficient to reject such honorary candidate. 
That the Society shall, from timo to time, publish a 
volume of papers of the same size and form as the transac¬ 
tions of the Adelphi Society, and that each member sliall be 
entitled to a copy, but no honorary member unless he has 
furnished a paper judged worthy of publication. 
