234 
London  Botanic  Gardens. 
A.m.  Jour.  Pharm. 
May,  1906. 
was  made  that  no  person  be  permitted  to  gather  specimens  from  the 
garden  without  leave  from  the  director  or  gardener,  and  that  no 
person  whatever,  who  was  not  a  member  of  the  Society,  be  per- 
mitted to  walk  in  the  garden  without  the  attendance  of  the  gar- 
dener." It  is  apparent  from  this  that  the  public  had  been  admitted 
to  the  garden,  and  there  is  also  evidence  to  show  that  the  pre- 
cautions just  mentioned  were  taken  because  of  some  act  of  vandal- 
ism by  a  visitor.  By  1786,  however,  the  members  had  become  so 
numerous  that  it  was  a  difficult  matter  for  the  gardener  to  recognize 
them  all,  so  that  "  an  engraved  card  suitably  ornamented,  and 
endorsed  by  the  Master  and  Wardens  for  the  time  being,  was 
directed  to  be  given  to  every  present  and  future  member,  to  which 
the  gardener  and  his  servants  were  to  pay  due  regard."  The  im- 
portance of  the  gardener's  services  was  also  recognized  by  others 
besides  the  members  of  the  Society  of  Apothecaries  and  the  general 
public,  for  in  181 5  the  Horticultural  Society  requested  that  they 
might  be  allowed  to  make  experiments  in  the  Chelsea  Garden  under 
the  control  of  the  Society  of  Apothecaries  and  its  gardener.  This 
request  was  refused,  but  permission  was  accorded  to  the  gardener 
to  make  such  experiments,  provided  that  application  was  made  by 
the  Horticultural  Society  through  the  Garden  Committee,  and  a 
portion  of  the  garden  was  accordingly  set  aside  for  "  the  planting 
of  various  fruit  trees  and  esculent  vegetables." 
It  has  already  been  mentioned  that  the  normal  expenses  incurred 
in  administering  the  garden  were  met,  as  early  as  171 3,  by  the 
imposition  of  fines  on  the  Society's  constituents.  It  has  also  been 
shown  how  this  arrangement  was  disturbed  in  succeeding  years 
owing  to  the  unsettled  condition  of  the  garden.  After  the  transfer 
of  the  property  to  the  Society  of  Apothecaries  by  Sir  Hans  Sloane 
the  system  of  levying  definite  fees  upon  the  Society's  members  was 
again  introduced,  and  this,  together  with  additional  grants  from  the 
Corporation,  was  the  method  adopted  during  the  whole  period  in 
which  the  garden  was  owned  by  the  Society  of  Apothecaries.  It 
will,  further,  be  remembered  that  extraordinary  expenses  were  met, 
in  the  early  days  of  the  garden's  history,  by  subscriptions  among 
the  members  of  the  Society,  and  by  special  grants  from  the  Cor- 
poration. This  system  was  also  the  one  subsequently  adopted  on 
similar  occasions. 
The  awarding  of  prizes  for  proficiency  in  botanical  subjects  is 
