562  London  Botanic  Gardens.  {ADecimber!i^5m' 
tion  of  arsenic,  cadmium,  lead,  copper,  etc.,  which  were  detected  by 
hydrogen  sulphide  in  the  1890U.S.P.  The  absence  of  iron  is  deter- 
mined by  the  complete  solution  of  the  zinc  valerate  in  solution  of 
ammonium  carbonate  instead  of  in  ammonia  water.  A  test  for 
chloride  and  one  for  sulphate  is  given,  but  the  test  for  alkalies, 
magnesium,  etc.,  is  omitted.  The  modified  Gutzeit's  test  for  arsenic 
is  also  given.    The  salt  should  be  99  per  cent.  pure. 
( To  be  continued.) 
LONDON  BOTANIC  GARDENS. 
By  Pierre  Ewe  Feux  Perredes,  b.Sc,  F.L.S., 
Pharmaceutical  Chemist. 
A  Contribution  from  the  Wellcome  Research  Laboratories,  London. 
{Continued from  p.  530.) 
II. 
KEW  GARDENS. 
The  present  Royal  Botanic  Gardens  at  Kew  are  the  result  of  the 
fusion  of  two  royal  domains,  viz.,  (1)  Richmond  Gardens,  and  (2) 
the  original  Kew  Gardens — the  latter  corresponding  roughly  to  the 
private  grounds  of  Kew  House,  a  substantial  private  house  which 
was  demolished  in  1803.  This  fusion,  contemplated  by  an  Act  of 
Parliament  passed  in  1765  and  giving  George  III  power  to  cause 
the  lane  separating  the  two  gardens  "  to  be  shut  up  and  discon- 
tinued," was  eventually  accomplished  in  1802. 
It  will  be  convenient  to  deal  separately  with  the  histories  of  these, 
prior  to  their  fusion,  beginning  with  that  of  Richmond  Gardens. 
RICHMOND  GARDENS. 
These  gardens,  which  have  contributed  the  western  half  to  Kew 
as  it  exists  to-day,  were  associated  with  a  royal  residence  as  far 
back  as  the  reign  of  Edward  I,  who  converted  the  «'  Manor  House 
at  Sheen/'  which  lay  to  the  south  of  the  gardens,  into  a  royal  pal- 
ace. This  building  was  burnt  down  in  the  reign  of  Edward  VI,  by 
whom  it  was  rebuilt  and  named  Richmond.  It  was  sold  in  1650, 
and  its  reversion  to  royal  hands  appears  to  have  taken  place  in  the 
reign  of  Queen  Anne  or  of  William  III,  although  the  accounts  deal- 
ing with  the  history  of  the  palace  and  its  gardens  during  this  period 
