age he lived in. He went from his house at Ingatestone in Essex to his seat at Thorndon-ball in the same county, to extend a large row of elms at the end of the park behind the house. He removed in the spring of the year 1734, being the 22nd of his age, twenty-four full-grown elms about sixty feet high and two feet diameter. All grew finely, and now are not known from the old trees they were planted to match. In the year 1738 he planted the great avenue of elms up the park from the house to the esplanade. The trees were large, perhaps fifteen or twenty years old. On each side the esplanade, at the head or top of the park, he raised two mounts, and planted all with evergreens in April and May 1740. In the centre of each mount was a large cedar of Lebanon of twenty years growth, supported by four larches of eleven years growth. On the same area on the mount were planted four smaller cedars of Lebanon, aged twenty years each, supported by four larches aged six years. On the sides Virginian red cedars of three years growth, mixed with other evergreens, which now (anno 1760) make an amazingly fine appearance.

In the years 1741 and 1742 from this very nursery, he planted out forty thousand trees of all kinds, to embellish the woods at the head of the park on each side of the avenue to the lodge, and round the esplanade. It would occupy a large work to give a particular account of his building and planting. His stoves exceed in dimensions all others in Europe He, dying, his vast collection of rare exotic plants, and his extensive nursery were soon dispersed.

I paid to John Clarke for a thousand cedars of Lebanon, June the 8th, 1761, seventy-nine pounds six shillings, in behalf of the duke of Richmond. These thousand cedars were planted at five years old, in my sixty-seventh year, in March and April, anno 1761.

In September 1761 I was at Goodwood, and saw these cedars in a thriving state.

This day, October 20th, 1762, I paid Mr. Clarke for another large parcel of cedars for the duke of Richmond. It is very remarkable that Mr. Clarke, a butcher at Barnes, conceived an opinion that he could raise cedars of Lebanon from cones from the great tree at Hendon-place. He succeeded perfectly; and annually raised them in such quantities, that he supplied the nurserymen, as well as abundance of noblemen and gentlemen, with cedars of Lebanon: and he succeeded not only in cedars, but he had a great knack in raising the small magnolia, Warner's Cape jessamine, and other exotic seeds. He built a large stove for pine apples, &c.

Any person who has curiosity enough may go to Goodwood in Sussex, and see the date and progress of those cedars, which were at planting five years old. The duke's father was a great planter but the young duke much exceeds him, for he intends to clothe all the lofty naked hills above him with evergreen woods. Great portions are already planted, and he annually raises infinite numbers in his nurseries from seeds of pines, firs, cedars, and larches.

In the duke of Argyle's woods stands the largest New England or Weymouth pine. This, and his largest cedars of Lebanon now

standing, were all raised by him from seed in the year 1725 at his seat at Whitton near Hounslow. This spring, 1762, all the duke of Argyle's rare trees and shrubs were removed to the princess of Wales's garden at Kew, which now excels all others, under the direction of lord Bute.

Mr. Vernon, Turkey merchant at Aleppo, transplanted the weeping-willow from the river Euphrates, brought it with him to Eng. land, and planted it at his seat at Twickenham-park where I saw it growing anno 1748. This is the original of all the weeping-willows in our gardens. *

October the 18th, 1765, I went to see Mr. Rogers's vineyard, all of Burgundy grapes, and seemingly all perfectly ripe. I did not see a green half-ripe grape in all this great quantity. He does not exHe does not expect to make less than fourteen hogsheads of wine. The bunches and fruit are remarkably large, and the vines very strong. He was formerly famous for ranunculuses. October 18th, 1765, I visited Mrs. Gaskry, at Parson's Green, near Fulham. This long, hot, dry summer has had a remarkably good effect on all wall fruits. Apri. cots, peaches, and nectarines, ripened much earlier than usual, and have been excellent: but the most remarkable was the plenty of pomegranates, near two dozen on each tree, of a remarkable size

and fine ruddy complexion, of the size of middling oranges. One that was split showed the redness and ripeness within.

John Buxton, esq. of Shadwell, near Thetford in Norfolk, from the acorns of 1762, sowed or planted on forty-two acres of land 120 bushels, containing, as near as can be computed, 1,432,320 acorns; which is nearly 34,103 acorns on each acre. For this Mr. Buxton had a present of a gold medal from the Society of Arts, &c. Years or ages hence it may be worth a journey to go and observe the progress of vegetation in the dimensions and heights of this famous plantation, whose beginning is so certainly known.

By a letter (Nov. 28th, 1762) from Thomas Knowlton, gardener to the duke of Devonshire at his seat of Londesburgh near York, and director of his grace's new kitchen-garden, stoves, &c. at Chatsworth, I am informed that the duke of Devonshire is now sowing seventy quarters of acorns that is, 560 bushels; an immense quantity: but this year there was the greatest crop of acorns ever remembered. Besides this vast sowing, some hundred thousands of young seedling oaks are planting out this winter: between forty and fifty men are employed about this work. In the year 1761, as many oaks were transplanted from

the nursery, of two, three, and four years old.

1761. Our last winter, if it may be called so, exceeded for mildness 1759. The autumnal flowers were not gone before spring began in December with aconites, snowdrops, polyanthuses, &c. and continued without any alloy of intervening sharp frosts, all January, except two or three frosty nights and mornings: a more delightful season could not be enjoyed in southern latitudes. In January and February my garden was covered with flowers.

This summer, 1762, I was visiting Mr. Wood of Littleton, Middlesex. He shewed me a curiosity which surprised me. On a little slender twig of a peach-tree about four inches long that projected from the wall, grew a peach, and close to it, on the other side of the twig, a nectarine. This Mr. Miller also assured me he had himself known, although not mentioned here (in his Dictionary); and another friend assured me, that he had a tree which produced the like in his garden at Salisbury: but this I saw myself, and it induces me to think that the peach is the mother of the nectarines; the latter being a modern fruit, as there is no Greek or Latin name for it.

*

Copied from my nephew Thomas Collinson's Journal of his Travels, 1754 "In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, anno. . ., the first orange and lemon trees were introduced into England by two

curious gentlemen, one of them sir Nicholas Carew, at Bedington, near Croydon, in Surrey." (The title is lately extinct, anno 1763). These orange-trees were planted in the natural ground; but against every winter an artificial covering was raised for their protection. I have seen them some years ago in great perfection. But this apparatus going to decay, without due consideration a green-house of brick-work was built all round them, and left on the top uncovered in the summer. I visited them a year or two after, in their new habitation, and to my great concern found some dying, and all declining; for, although there were windows on the south side, they did not thrive in their confinement; but, being kept damp with the rains, and wanting a free, airy full sun all the growing months of summer, they languished, and at last all died.

A better fate has hitherto attended the other fine parcel of orange-trees, &c. brought over at the same time by sir Robert Mansell, at Margam; late lord Mansell's, now Mr. Talbot's, called Kingsey-castle, in the road from Cowbridge to Swansey, in South Wales. My nephew counted 80 trees of citrons, limes, burgamots, Seville and China orange-trees, planted in great cases all ranged in a row before the green house. This is the finest sight of its kind in England. He had the curiosity to measure some of them. A China orange measured in the ex

tent of its branches fourteen feet. A Seville orange was fourteen feet high, the case included, and the stem twenty-one inches round. A China orange twenty-two inches and a half in girth.

July 11th, 1777. I visited the orangery at Margam in the year 1766, in company with Mr. Lewis Thomas, of Eglews Nynngt in that neighbourhood, a very sensible and attentive man, who told me that the orange trees, &c. in that garden were intended as a present from the king of Spain to the king of Denmark; and that the vessel in which they were shipped being taken in the Channel, the trees were made a present of to sir R. Mansell.

December 10th, 1765. A few days ago died my friend Mr. Bennet, who was very curious and industrious in procuring seeds and plants from abroad. He had a garden behind the Shadwell waterworks, near the spot where he lived, and built several very handsome stoves at a great expense, filling them with fine exotics of all kinds; but the erecting a fire-engine to raise the water, so hurt his plants by the smoke, that he removed to a large garden of two or three acres in the fields at the back of White-chapel laystalls. Here he built a large house for pines and other rare exotics, which he left well stocked. In this garden he raised water melons to a great size and perfection; I have told above forty lying ripe on the ground. They were raised in frames, and transplanted out under béll-glasses. A basket of these melons was sent to the king. Mr. Bennet had besides a great collectionof hardy-ground plants,

His garden and all his plants were sold by auction April 14, 1766.

The seeds of the rhubarb with broad curled leaves were first raised by me. They were sent by Dr. Amman, professor of botany at Petersburg, whose father-in-law was Russian governor of the province near which the rhubarb grows. The seed of that with long narrow curled leaves was sent by the Jesuits in China to my friend Dr. Tanches, at Petersburg, by the Russian caravan, and he sent it to me.

Lord Rochefort, our ambassador in Spain, in a letter dated Madrid, November 1765, says, that in the parts where he had been, there are very few foresttrees worth notice: but the ilexes about the Escurial are fine. One sort produces acorns of a monstrous size, which they eat in Spain at their best tables, and they are as sweet as chesnuts.

May 17th, 1761. I was invited by Mr. Sharp, at South Lodge,on Enfield Chase, to dine, and see the Virginia dog-wood (Cornus florida). The calyx of the flowers, is as large as those figured by Catesby, and (what is remarkable) this is the only tree that bears these flowers amongst many hundreds that I have seen it began to bear them in May, 1759.

Anno 1747. Raised a new species of what appears to be a threethorned acacia, from seeds from Persia, that came with Azad or Persian hornbeam, given me by Mr. Baker: it thrives well in my garden. I gave seed to Mr. Gordon, and he also raised it.

The eastern hornbeam (Miller's Dictionary, edition 8th) was raised from seed given to me, which came