May  29,  1902. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  ANT)  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
473 
bertiana,  P.  insignis,  P.  nobilis,  P.  grandis,  P.  ponderosa,  and 
last,  but  not  least,  the  beautiful  Abies  Douglasi ;  among  shrubs, 
the  coloured  Ribesi;  and  among  border  plants,  Clarkias, 
Esehscholtzias,  Gaillardias,  Godetias,  Lupines,  the  musky  Mimu- 
lus,  Pentstemons,  and  many  other  universal  favourites.  Douglas 
subsequently  visited  the  Sandwich  Islands,  where  he  was  killed 
by  a  bullock.  It  is  unnecessai*y  to  refer  in  detail  to  the  labours 
of  all  the  collectors  who  did  good  work  for  the  Society,  though 
their  names  should  be  recorded.  Mr.  McRae  was  sent  to  Brazil 
and  Chili,  whence  he  introduced  Araucaria  imbricata;  Mr.  John 
Potts  tO’  India  and  China,  and  Mr.  John  Damper  Parkes  to  China 
in  the  third  decade  of  the  centuryi  In  1836  Herr  Theodor 
Hartweg  waS'  des-  . 
patched  to  Mexico, 
Peru,  Guatemala, 
&e.,  where  he  col¬ 
lected  a  vast  num¬ 
ber  of  plants,  2,000 
of  which  have  been 
described  by  the 
late  Mr.  Bentham 
in  his  ‘  Plantie 
Hartwegianse.’ 
“  The  selection  of 
RobeiT  Foihune  as 
a  collector  by  the 
Society  in  1843  is  a 
memorable  event  in 
its  history.  For 
not  only  did  he  send 
home  many  beauti¬ 
ful  and  valuable 
plants,  but  his  em- 
plovment  by  the 
Society  led  directly 
to  the  introduction 
of  the  great  tea 
industry  into  India, 
and  subsequently 
into  Ceylon  and 
o  t  h  e  r  countries . 
This  introduction 
has  caused,  as  is 
well  known,  a  com¬ 
plete  industrial  re¬ 
volution  in  Fastern 
Asia,  and  the  trans¬ 
fer  of  the  .bulk  of 
the  tea  trade  from 
China  to  India  and 
Ceylon,  to  the  enor¬ 
mous  advantage  of 
our  Indian  Empire. 
It  would  occupy  too 
inuch  time  to  give  a 
list  of  Fortune’s 
introductions ;  but 
mention  may  be 
made  of  Gardenia 
Fortunei,  Dielytra 
spectabilis,  _  Wis¬ 
taria  sinensis  alba, 
Berberis  Fortunei, 
Weigela  rosea,  Jas- 
minum  nudiflorum, 
Indigofera  decora, 
Cryptomeria  japo- 
nica,  Moutan  or 
tree  Pseonies,  &c. 
It  may  be  _  men¬ 
tioned,  a.s  evidence 
of  the  cost  and 
value  of  this  work,  that  Hartweg’s  and  Fortune’s  expeditions 
alone  cost  the  Society  £3,837  from  1841  to  1845.  During  this 
period  there  were  distributed  from  Chiswick  42,584  plants,  31,374 
parcels  of  cuttings,  308,371  packets  of  seeds.  The  last  collecitor 
employed  by  the  Society  was  Mr.  John  Weir,  who  went  in  1861 
to  New  Granada,  whence  he  sent  several  ijnportant  consignments 
of  Orchids  before  he  unfortunately  fell  a  victim  to  the  climate. 
Vicissitudes  of  the  Society. 
“  A  detailed  account  of  the  ups  and  downs  of  the  Society 
between  the  dates  of  the  establishment  of  its  gardens  at  Chiswick 
and  its  move  to  South  Kensington  would  be  tedious  and  of  little 
interest.  It  would,  however,  enforce  the  lesson  that  societies,  as 
well  as  individuals,  if  they  are  to  prosper,  must  stick  to  their 
last  and  cut  their  coat  according  to  their  cloth.  No  doubt  the 
work  undertaken  and  carried  out  at  Chi,swick  and  elsewhere  was 
beyond  the  resources  which  the  Society  could  permanently  count 
upon,  and  this  notwithstanding  a  voluntary  subscription  of  nearly 
The  Interior  of  the  Great  Vinery. 
£7,300  towards  the  expenses  of  laying  out  the  Chiswick  Gardens. 
The  election  of  iiew  Fellows,  which  had  been  328  in  1821.  steadily 
declined,  due  no  doubt  in  part  to  the  imposition  of  a  heavy 
entrance  donation  and  an  increased  subscription,  these  being 
£6  6s.  and  £4  4s.  respectively.  Other  causes  of  a  decline  in  the 
popularity  of  the  Society  were  the  distrust  created  by  a  serious 
defalcation  in  1826,  and  the  discontinuance,  in  1827,  of  the  annual 
anniversary  dinner — dinners  not  being  so  numerous  then  as  to  be 
the  unmitigated  nuisance  they  now  are.  Chiswick  fetes  or 
dejetiners  were  established  to  take  the  place  of  the  dinner ;  but 
after  four  had  been  held  they  made  way  for  the  exhibitions  in 
Regent  Street  and  at  Chiswick,  with  which  the  name  of  the 
Society  is  insepar¬ 
ably  connected.  It 
was  mainly  at  the 
instance  of  the 
celebrated  botanist 
Bindley  that  these 
shows  were  estab¬ 
lished.  Bindley, 
who  had  been  ap¬ 
pointed  assistant- 
secretaiy  to  the 
Society  in'  1822,wa.s 
ultimately  elected 
a  member  of  coun¬ 
cil  and  honorary 
secretary  in  1858. 
Though  tlm  large 
room  of  No.  21, 
Regent  Street, 
could  hold  a  dis¬ 
play  of  but  very 
moderate  dimen¬ 
sions,  it  served  in 
tho.se.  days  for  the 
fortnightly  shows 
which  have  ever 
been  an  important 
and  enduring  fea¬ 
ture  of  the  Society’s 
life. 
Chiswick  Shows. 
“  The  first  Chis¬ 
wick  show  was  held 
in  1833,  the  last  in 
1857.  It  is  no 
exaggeration  to 
say  that  these  dis¬ 
plays  not  only  de¬ 
lighted  the  vast 
multitudes  who 
visited  them,  but 
did  much  to  ad¬ 
vance  British  horti¬ 
culture,  and  to 
guide  the  efforts  of 
the  kindred  socie¬ 
ties  which  now 
flourish  in  every' 
part  of  the  B’nited 
Kingdom.  Tho.so 
Avho  can  remember 
these  shows  at  the 
zenith  of  their  pro¬ 
sperity  will  readily 
admit  that  nothing 
has  ever  been  seen 
to  compare  with 
them,  either  in  the 
variety  of  the  collections  shown  or  in  the  hoiticultural  skill  they 
evinced.  A  large  class  of  beautiful  plants,  from  the  Antipodes, 
the  New  Holland  plants,  as  they  were  called,  then  shown  in 
specimens  of  great  vigour  and  perfection,  have  alinost  gone  out 
of  cultivation.  Where  can  anyone  now  see  the  beautiful  Pimeleas, 
Chorizemas,  Hoveas,  Gompholobiums,  Leschenaultias.  Ac.,  ex¬ 
hibited  in  such  splendour  in  the  forties  and  fifties?  M  here  tlie 
magnificent  Cape  Heaths,  which  rivalled  them  in  beauty  and  per¬ 
fection  of  cultivation?  Where  the  striking  tall  Cacti? 
Financial  Troubles. 
“  It  is  impossible  to  trace,  however  imperfectly,  the  history 
of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  without  touching  upon  the 
financial  vicissitudes,  not  to  say  misfortunes,  which  it  has  experi¬ 
enced.  At  an  early  date  not  a  few  Fellows  were  jn  default  witli 
their  subseriptioiis,  aiul  between  1824  and  ISoo,  Mr.  An(lie^\ 
Murray  states  nearly  £134)00  of  arrears  liad  to  be  nritten  oft  as 
irrecoverable.  For  several  yrars  between  1840  and  18j.j  o.,  .! 
