The Royal Gardens at Hampton Court were laid out by London and Wise, already mentioned as nursery-men and gardeners of eminence in the reign of King William. A labyrinth in the wilderness quarter, and some other re mains of the old style, are here still to be seen, having in some strange way or other escaped during the revolutions of taste, and the desolating improvements of Kent and Brown. The winding walks of the labyrinth are about half a mile in length, although the entire space occupied by it does not exceed a quarter of an acre. In a grape-house on the south side of the palace, is a Black Hamburg!) vine, which has been much spoken of : the stem is more than a foot in circumference ; one principal branch, trained back, measures 114 feet in length ; and the plant has produced, in one season, 2200 bunches, weighing 011 an average 1lb. each.
The gardens at Kensington have long been celebrated.
They were greatly unproved by the late Mr Forsyth, who certainly succeeded in renovating the fruit•trees, and ren dering them productive of excellent fruit. Too much was probably ascribed to the composition, now generally known by the name of Forsyth's plaster, and it was no doubt inju dicious to bring such a matter before the British parlia ment. The effect of the preeminent degree of patronage bestowed seems unluckily to have been, to excite an undue prejudice against the practices recommended in the Trea tise on Fruit-trees.
The gardens at Frogmore near Windsor have been formed chiefly under the direction of Charlotte Queen of George III. and of Princess Elizabeth, one of their daughters. The gardens display much taste, and are kept in excellent order. They are the ptivate propel ty of her ISlajesty.
Botanic Gardens.
27. The Botanic Garden at Chelsea is supported by the Worshipful Company of Apothecaries of London. The ground was granted to them in the end or the 17th century by Sir Hans Sloane, on condition of their presenting to the Royal Society, annually, fifty new plants, till the number should amount to 2000. In the middle of the garden there is a marble statue of Sir Flans, by Rysbrack. On the north side of the garden is a large greenhouse, and close by it a stove, also of considerable dimensions. Over the green house is a botanical library. On the south side of the gar den, near the Thames, are two wide spreading cedars of Lebanon, planted so long ago as 1683; at present (1816) the circumference of one of them, three feet from the ground, is somewhat more than thirteen feet, and of the other almost thirteen feet. The laborious and well inform
ed Philip Miller was superintendant of this garden for many years, and here his admirable Gardener's Dictionary was composed. Since the death of Miller, the garden has been rather on the decline, the soil being much exhausted, and the hot-houses having fallen into disrepair. Of late, however, the Company has, at much expence, restor ed every thing to a state of more than former excel lence, the improvements having been conducted by Mr William Anderson, an eminent practical gardener and bo tanist. Botanical instructions are here given during the summer months by a demonstrator appointed by the Com pany of Apothecaries.
The botanic garden at Oxford is of considerable antiqui ty ; but the collection of plants is not extensive ; and in that famed city of theological and classical learning, no great encouragement seems to be given to the votaries of Flora and Pomona.
The botanic garden at Cambridge has long had a high er character in the botanical world. The collection, how ever, cannot be accounted very extensive. The many edi tions of the Hortus Cantabrigiensis, published by the late Mr James Donn, the curator, tended greatly to spread its lame. Not that it is to be imagined that all the plants enumerated in the Cambridge catalogue are to be found, at any one time, in a living state in the garden; if they were ever cultivated there, it is enough. The catalogue was printed in the shape of a pocket volume, and formed a convenient companion to the garden or greenhouse: in fact, it long regulated the nomenclature of plants in this coun try. Now, however, many give the preference to the norms Kevrensis, as a more accurate performance ; and an abridged pocket edition of this has also been pub. lished.
The botanic garden at Liverpool was established by sub scription, under the auspices of the patriotic Mr Roscoe.
The suite of hot-houses is perhaps the finest in Britain, and the whole establishment is highly creditable to that opulent commercial city. The collection of plants is great; and the many opportunities of procuring seeds from ships, constantly arriving from every quarter of the world, are ea gerly embraced by an active and intelligent superintendant, Mr William Shepherd. Here Sir James Edward Smith, the celebrated author of the Flora Britannica, and Presi dent of the Linnean Society, has occasionally delivered a course of lectures on botany.