Am.  Jour.  Pharm.l 
April,  1906.  / 
London  Botanic  Gardens. 
179 
relinquishment  of  the  garden  was  seriously  contemplated,  but  a 
committee,  which  was  specially  appointed  to  decide  the  question, 
resolved  upon  its  retention ;  and  an  arrangement  was  made  in  1708 
by  which  the  garden  was  leased  to  such  members  of  the  Society  as 
chose  to  subscribe  a  sum  of  £ioo  per  annum  among  themselves 
towards  the  upkeep  of  the  garden.  This  utterly  unworkable  scheme 
had  to  be  abandoned  before  long,  and,  in  1 7 1 3,  definite  fees  were 
imposed  on  the  Society's  constituents.  In  1 714  it  was  decided  that, 
for  the  time  being,  the  garden  should  be  maintained  by  the  Corpo- 
ration.1 From  this  date  until  1722  the  affairs  of  the  garden  were  in 
a  somewhat  unsettled  condition,  and  the  gardener  or  gardeners 
employed  were  evidently  unimportant  officials,  as  there  is  no  gar- 
dener mentioned  by  name  in  the  Society's  records  during  that 
period.  The  decrease  in  importance  of  the  post  of  gardener  was 
accompanied  by  a  correspondingly  increased  importance  in  that  of 
Demonstrator  of  Plants.  We  have  already  seen  that  John  Petiver, 
F.R.S.,  officiated  in  the  latter  capacity  in  1709,  and  although  it  is 
more  than  probable  that  he  had  occupied  the  post  for  some  time 
previously,  the  circumstances  connected  with  the  garden  at  this  time 
were  undoubtedly  such  as  to  bring  him  in  close  contact  with  its 
affairs,  and  to  pave  the  way  for  the  step  which  was  taken  in  1724 
of  entrusting  the  direction  of  the  garden  to  his  successors  in  office. 
In  17 1 2  Dr.  Hans  Sloane2  purchased  the  manor  of  Chelsea  from 
1  The  term  "  the  Corporation  "  has  been  used,  throughout  this  chapter,  to 
denote  the  Society  of  Apothecaries  of  London,  in  its  capacity  as  a  corporate 
body.  This  explanation  is  rendered  necessary  by  the  fact  that  the  Corporation 
of  the  City  of  Iyondon  is  generally  known  as  "  The  Corporation." 
2  Hans  Sloane  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1660,  of  Scotch  parents.  He  went 
to  London  about  his  nineteenth  year  to  study  medicine,  and  while  there  he 
came  into  contact  with  Ray  the  naturalist.  This  association  was  instrumental 
in  developing  his  taste  for  botanical  subjects,  and  during  his  subsequent  stay 
in  Paris  in  1683  he  attended  lectures  on  botany  by  Tournefort,  as  well  as  on 
anatomy  by  Duverney.  After  leaving  Paris  Sloane  went  to  Montpelier  where 
he  became  acquainted  with  the  celebrities  of  its  University  and  commenced 
his  collection  of  plants.  After  travelling  in  Languedoc  to  increase  his 
collection,  he  returned  to  London  in  1684.  He  was  elected  a  Fellow  of 
the  Royal  Society  in  1685,  and  a  Fellow  of  the  Royal  College  of  Physi- 
cians in  1687.  In  the  latter  year  he  accompanied  the  Duke  of  Albermarle 
to  Jamaica,  where  he  further  enriched  his  collection  by  the  addition  of 
a  number  of  tropical  plants.  After  an  absence  of  fifteen  months  Sloane 
returned  to  London  ;  became  Physician  to  Christ's  Hospital  in  1694  ; 
married  the  daughter  of  a  wealthy  alderman  in  1695  ;  became  Secretary  of  the 
