June  4,  1903. 
JOURNAL  CF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
491 
in  .botany,  taking  his  pupils  with  him  into  tlie  fields  and  woods 
■in,  the  neighbourhood  of  London. 
Mr.  Curtis  with  great  judgment  had  connected  the  study  of 
entomology  with  that  of  botany,  and  accordingly  about  the  year 
1771  published  his  instructions  for  collecting  and  preserving 
insects;  and  in  the  year  1772  a  translation  of  the  “Fundamenta 
Entomologiae  ”  of  Linnaeus.  He  was  now  known  to  many  gentle¬ 
men  of  the  first  abilitie.s  in  the  knowledge  of  natural  history ; 
among  the  rest  to  Mr.  Alchorne,  of  the  Mint.  This  gentleman 
had  officiated,  pro  tempore,  as  demonstrator  of  botany  to  the 
Society  of  Apothecaries  on  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Hudson,,  and 
conoeiving  that  it  would  be  both  honourable  and  advantageous 
to  Mr.  Curtis  to  be  placed  in  that  situation,  he  recommended 
him  in  the  hand.somest  terms  to  the  Society,  and  he  was  accord¬ 
ingly  chosen  tO'  that  office.  He  continued  in  this  .situation 
several  yearSj  but  at  length,  finding  it  interfered  too  much  with 
his  professional  duties,  resigned  it. 
Before  this  resignation  took  place  Mr.  Curtis  had  become  in¬ 
timately  acejuainted  with  Thomas  White,  Esq.,  brother  of  the 
Rev.  Gilbert  White,  of  Selborne,  Hants.  Mr.  White  was  a 
gentleman  of  learning,  extensive  reading,  and  much  science.  In 
1746 — Mr.  William  Curtis— 1799. 
conjunction  with  him  Mr.  Curtis  occupied  a.  very  small  garden 
for  tlie  culture  of  British  plants  near  the  Grange  Road,  at  the 
bottom  of  Bcrmond.sey  Street.  It  was  here  that  Mr.  Curtis  first 
conceived  the  design  of  publishing  his  great  work,  the  “  Flora 
Londinensis,”  having  the  good  fortune  to  meet  ivith  an  artist  of 
uncommon  talent  in  Mr.  Kilburn,  and  receiving  from  Mr.  White, 
e.specially  in  his  three  first  Fasciculi,  much  and  most  valuable 
assistance. 
The  Grange  Road  garden  was  .soon  found  too  small  for  Mr. 
Curtis’  extensive  ideas.  He  therefore  took  a  larger  piece  of 
ground  in  Lambeth  Marsh,  where  he  soon  collected  the  largest 
collection  of  Bi'itish  plants  ever  brought  together  into  one  place. 
But  there  was  something  ungenial  in  the  air  of  this  place,  which 
made  it  extremely  difficult  tO'  preserve  sea  plants  and  many  of 
the  rare  annuals  which  are  adapted  to  an  elevated  situation ;  an 
evil  rendered  wor.se  every  year  by  the  increased  number  of  build¬ 
ings  around.  This  led  his  active  mind,  evea’  anxious  for  improve¬ 
ment,  to  inquii’e  for  a  more  favourable  soil  and  purer  air.  This 
at  length  he  found  at  Brompton.  Here  he  procured  a  spacious 
territory’,  in  which  he  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  his  wishes 
gratific*d  to  the  utmost  extent  of  reasonable  expectation.  Here 
he  continued  to  his  death. 
Several  years  previous  to  this,  Mr.  Curtis,  finding  it  incom¬ 
patible  with  the  duties  of  his  profession  as  an  apothecary  to  give 
up  so  much  of  his  time  as  he  wished  to  his  favourite  pursuits, 
first  took  in  a  partner,  and  soon  after  declined  the  practice  of 
physic  altogether,  devoting  himself  to  the  study  of  natural 
history.  He  had  now  nothing  to  depend  upon  for  a  livelihood 
but  the  precarious  profits  of  his  botanic  gaiden  and  his  publica¬ 
tions.  The  “Flora  Londinensis”  was  an  object  of  universal 
admiration,  and  on  this  he  bestowed  unwearied  care.  But  the 
sale  of  the  work  never  eciualled  its  unrivalled  merit,  the  number 
of  copies  sold  .scarcely  ever  exceeded  300.  This  was  owing  parth’. 
to  the  work  coming  out  (a  great  advantage  to  it  in  point  of 
accuracy)  so  slowly;  partly  to  its  being  but  little  known  abroad 
in  consequence  of  this  slowness,  and  at  length  to  the  horrid  revo¬ 
lution  of  France. 
IMr.  Curtis  disdained  to  have  the  usual  recourse  to  artifice  and 
increased  price  to  enable  him  to  carry  on  the  sale.  But  by  a 
happy  judgment,  about  the  year  1787,  he  projected  the  plan  of 
his  “  Botanical  Magazine.”  What  the  sterling  merit  of  his 
“Flora”  could  not  accomplish,  this  comparatively  speaking  in¬ 
ferior  performance  procured  him  most  readily.  The  nature  of 
this  publication  had  in  it  such  a  captivating  appearance,  was  so 
easily  purchaseable,  and  was  executed  with  so  much  taste  and 
accuracy,  that  it  at  once  became  popular ;  and  from  its  unvaried 
continuance  in  excellence  and  popularity  continued  to  be  a  mine 
of  wealth  to  hinr  to  the  very  day  of  his  death,  contributing  at  tho 
same  time  not  a  little  to  the  increase'  of  hi.s  botanical  fame,  from 
the  number  of  original  and  excellent  observations  interspersed 
through  the  work. 
The  mode  of  publication  adopted  in  the  “Botgnical  Maga,- 
zine”  held  out  a  tempting  lure  to  similar  productions.  Hence, 
among  others,  the  “  Fngli.sh  Botany  ”  of  Dr.  Smjt,h  and  Mr. 
Sowerby  took  its  origin.  I^nfortunately  Mr.  Curtis  .considered 
the  imblication  of  this  work  as  an  act  of  hostility  against  him- 
.self,  neither  would  he  allow  himself  to  bo  persuaded  to  the  con¬ 
trary.  It  was  an  unfortunate  circumstance,  and  prevented  him 
from  communicating  with  Dr.  Smith,  a  real  friend  to  him,  and 
even  with  the  Linneean  Society,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
oldest  members,  and  in  which  lie  had  a  vei-y  large  number  of  his 
per.sonal  friends.  No  mi.schief  arose  from  this  untoward  miscon¬ 
ception,  the  interposition  of  friends  at  length  softening,  if  not 
entirely  healing,  the  rankling  wound. 
There  was  not  a  naturalist  of  any  eminence  who  did  not  court 
his  acr^uaintance.  There  never  was  a  ijleasanter  companion  than 
Mr.  Curtis:  he  abounded  in  innocent  mirth,  and  good  humour 
ever  floating  uppermost  gave  a  pleasant  cast  to  everything  he 
said  or  did.  Ferv  people  have  been  known  to  form  so  correct  an 
opinion  of  themselves  as  lie.  “  I  have  no  ijretensions,”  said  he, 
in  the  memoirs  which  he  left  with  Dr.  Sims,  “  to  be  considei'cd 
as  a  man  of  letters  or  of  great  mental  powers.  I  know  myself 
anci  my  imperfections.  A  consciousness  of  my  inabilities  makes 
me  cliffident,  anti  pix)duces  in  me  a  shyness  which  some  have 
been  ready  to  construe  into  pride.”  He  was  sensible  that  his 
excellenca  consi,sted  in  his  superior  discernment  when  applied  to 
objects  of  natural  history  ;  in  that  respect  he  had  few  equals. 
All  Mr.  Curtis’  ideas  were  turned  to  the  benefit  of  mankind. 
He  was  the  first  botanist  of  note  in  this  country  who  applied 
botany  to  the  purposes  of  agriculture.  Although,  as  has  been 
before  stated,  Mr.  Curtis’  education  was  very  confined,  he  had 
acquired  some  taste  for  classic  literature,  both  ancient  and 
moclern,  and  somewhat  of  elegance  and  neatness  pervaded  what¬ 
ever  he  took  in  hand.  The  form  of  his  mind  was  iiortrayed  in 
his  garden,  his  library^  his  aviarjq  and  even  a  dry  catalogue  of 
plant.9  became  from  Ins  pen  an  amusing  and  instructive  little 
volume.  His  delicacy  never  forsook  him,  nor  would  he  willingly 
adopt  the  coarse,  vulgar  na,me:s  of  some  of  the  elder  botani.sts, 
though  sanctioned  by  tho  authority  of  Linnaeus  himself.  In 
shoid,  Mr.  Curtis  .was  an  honest,  laborious,  worthy  nian,  gentle, 
humane,  kind  to  everybody,  a  plea-sant  companion,  a  good 
master,  and  a  steady  friend.  His  “  Flora  Londinensis”  will  be  a 
monumentum  sere  perennius.  He  departed  this  life  July  7, 
1799. 
Gadding  and  Gathering. 
Dicksons  of  Chester. 
A  traveller  from  London  to  the  nurseries  round  Mauche.ster, 
Liverpool,  Chester,  and  other  Midland  or  Northern  towns  find.s 
that  business  in  these  places  is  snspended  at  onp  o’clock  on 
Saturdays.  This  I  entirely  agree  with,  but  in  and  around  the 
metropolis  we  have  just  begun,  in  a  few  instances,  to  follow  the 
example,  and  have  not  yet  become  generally  adapted  fo  it.  Thus 
it  was,  that,  thinking  of  the  houi-s  in  London  nurseries.  I  made  a 
call  at  Dicksons,  of  Chester,  about  2  o’clock  on  Saturday,  May  IG. 
and  but  for  a  scribbled  postcard  sent  on  before  me.  I  might  have 
had  some  difficulty  in  .securing  a  guide.  I  was  well  e-soorted, 
however,  over  the  extensive  and  trimly  kept  grounds  by  the  out¬ 
door  foreman.  The  effects  of  the  recent  frosts  were  evident  on 
every  hand,  for  coniferous  shrubs  of  nearly  every  sort  had  been 
severely  browned,  but  doubtk'ss  will  soon  recover  with  more 
genial  weather. 
In  such  a  nui-sery  as  Dick.smis’,  where'  fore.st  trees  and  orna¬ 
mental  trees,  shrubs,  and  underwoods  of  everj^  kind  are  supplied 
by  the  hundred  thousand,  one,  of  course,  sees  immense  breadths 
of  each  type  of  subject.  Thus  there  are  fine  batches  (now  thinned 
very  considerably  after  the  planting  season)  of  Larch,  Abies 
