226 
London  Botanic  Gardens. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
May,  1906. 
Board  of  Works.  By  mutual  agreement  between  the  Board  and  the 
Society,  the  latter  lost  the  foreshore  of  the  garden  as  well  as  access 
to  the  river,  but  obtained  certain  benefits  in  return,  including  the 
present  wall,  railing,  and  main  gates  which  face  the  embankment. 
Turning  now  to  the  particulars  of  the  plant  houses  and  other  build- 
ings, we  find  that  the  greenhouse,  erected  in  1732-34,  was  in  1747 
already  in  need  of  repairs,  and  with  the  assistance  of  a  contribution 
from  Sir  Hans  Sloane  these  were  duly  carried  out.  In  1779  a  new 
small  stove  was  built  to  take  the  place  of  an  old  one,  and  we  learn 
that  in  1785  the  greenhouse  required  slating,  as  well  as  other  repairs 
to  glass  lights.  The  expenses  involved  in  this  work  were  defrayed 
by  subscription  among  the  constituents  of  the  Society.  Two  new 
stoves  were  erected  in  1789,  a  new  tan-pit  in  1790,  another  in  1791, 
an  i  a  new  dry  stove  in  1792,  to  take  the  place  of  a  ruined  one.  Sev- 
eral alterations  were  begun  in  181 5  and  completed  in  the  following 
year.  These  included  imt  4  'ed  heating  arrangements,  which  in- 
volved the  addition  of  a  room  behind  one  of  the  greenhouses  to 
provide  sleeping  accommodation  for  the  gardeners,  in  order  that 
the  latter  might  be  near  the  fires.  A  pump  for  Thames  water  was 
also  provided  in  the  same  year,  as  the  spring  water  which  had 
hitherto  been  used  was  said  to  be  injurious  to  the  plants.  The  im- 
provements carried  out  during  Fortune's  curatorship  comprised  "two 
new  span-roofed  glass  structures,  a  stove  and  a  greenhouse."  In 
these  the  "  Polmaise  "  or  hot-air  system  was  tried,  but  found  unsat- 
isfactory, and  two  years  later  heating  by  hot  water  was  substituted 
in  its  stead.  The  expense  was  met,  as  usual,  by  subscription  among 
the  members  and  by  a  grant  from  the  Corporation.  In  1853  one  of 
the  glass  houses  was  taken  down  and  sold,  but  one  stove  was  re- 
tained, for  although  it  had  been  proposed  to  suppress  artificial  heat 
altogether  in  the  houses,  it  was  found  that  some  "  medicinal  plants 
which  were  absolutely  necessary  required  heat."1  In  1863  the 
plant-houses  were  re-arranged  and  new  ones  constructed,  and  into 
some  of  these  Wardian  cases  were  introduced.  It  was  not  until  the 
new  regime,  however,  that  the  hothouse  collections  became  at  all 
considerable  in  extent. 
The  only  other  buildings  of  sufficient  importance  to  be  considered 
here  are  those  which  served  as  a  residence  for  the  gardener  or  cura- 
1  Cf .  Barrett's  "History  of  the  Society  of  Apothecaries,"  from  which  the 
above  statement  is  quoted. 
