A NATURALIST IN ESSEX A CENTURY AND A-HALF AGO. 113
Woodfordienses"),2 we find Kalm meeting George Edwards, of
Stratford, "the great ornithologus," and referring to that naturalist's
work with its "matchless copperplates."
On page seventy-four, et seq., we have an elaborate account of
the manufacture of vitriol from iron pyrites found near Harwich. A
long and appreciative description of our Essex Elm trees occupies
much space. "In My Lord Tilney's garden . . . there were
high and long allees made only and solely of elm."
At Chelsea he sees
"the collection of plants which the great Historicus Naturalis, Joh. Rajus or Ray,
himself collected and arranged, and with his own hand wrote the names under."
Kalm mentioned that Ray's collection was given by him to
Samuel Dale, author of "Pharmacologia," afterwards it was borrowed
by Dr. Sherard, who was said to have cut out or clipped any rare plant
which he wanted for his own collection! Mr. Lucas shows in a note
that this mutilation took place between 1718 and 1722. A descrip-
tion of the country between London and Woodford must be
quoted :—
" The whole way there is nothing else but a succession of beautiful houses,
fertile arable fields, and verdant meadows. At all the houses there was commonly
a garden full of various beautiful trees. . . . The whole of the land was
divided into inclosures, which were all surrounded by hedges of all kinds of
planted trees, especially hawthorn, sloe, dog-rose, blackberry-bushes, holly,
Agrifolium, together with a number of other trees which had come to grow in
the hedges. . . . London's many towers appeared in the distance. . . .
The roads are full of travellers, on foot and on horseback, in wagons and carts,
who travel backwards and forwards, so that one often has, as it was, to steer
through them."
Under date March 7th, 1748, Kalm refers to Epping Forest:—
"Immediately to the north and east of Woodford there lies a beautiful forest.
. . . The forest is high-lying. Rabbits and roe-deer are said to abound in it,
though we did not see any when we passed through it. Nor did we find any
plants in this forest in flower, excepting the trees named below, otherwise the
ground was everywhere green. The trees had not been allowed to grow high, but
after they had obtained a height of 9 to 12 feet they had polled them for firewood,
or some other purpose. They had afterwards thrown out many branches, and
thus made a crown."
2 Writing of Richard Warner, Kalm says : "Few can he compared to him in a peculiar
disposition to be of service in all things, both to natives and foreigners. He had travelled much,
had a deep insight into nearly all sciences, but particularly horticulture, in which his principal
pleasure consisted. In his garden were nearly all the trees and bushes that could endure the
climate of England, and these stood the whole year out in the fresh air and under the open sky."