34
THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
the identical one left by Sir Joseph Banks to Robert Brown, and which
has been handed down from Keeper to Keeper in succession for now
more than a century.
Proceeding next to the Gallery containing the British Herbarium
of Phanerogams and the Seed Collection, the party was met by Mr. A. J.
Wilmott, who gave some account of the specimens in his particular care;
after which the public botanical gallery was traversed, where Mr. Rams-
bottom pointed out the general plan of arrangement of the exhibits.
The Library was next visited and some of its botanical treasures ex-
hibited for the delectation of the visitors. Sir Hans Sloane's herbarium,
which at his death, in 1753, was sold to the nation for £20,000, was shown
us and also the press where the rare old herbals (now safeguarded by
padlocks) are kept.
A display of sundry items likely to interest the party had kindly
been arranged on tables, and proved to be of absorbing interest. One
table exhibited relics of our great Essex naturalist, John Ray, such as his
herbarium and correspondence, his autograph, a copy of his Historiae
Plantarum, with Sir Hans Sloane's manuscript annotations, the manu-
script of Derham's "Select Remains of John Ray" and Dale's account
of Ray's herbarium.
Mr. Ramsbottom gave his opinion that John Ray and Robert Brown
were probably the two foremost botanists of this country.
On another table was laid out a series of beautifully coloured drawings
of plants by Ferdinand Bauer (1760-1826), the colours as brilliant to-day
as when first done over a century ago, other equally fine drawings by
his brother, Francis Bauer (1758-1840), the original drawings for
Sowerby's "English Botany," a collection of descriptive letters on botanical
subjects addressed by Nicolaus Joseph Jacquin (1727-1817) to Dryander,
Banks's librarian, full of beautiful coloured sketches of plants, and other
treasures.
A third table showed the original drawings made by Sowerby and
Miller for the "Hortus Kewensis," and some beautiful coloured drawings
executed by Francis Bauer in 1813 to illustrate fungal-diseases in corn.
A number of old herbals had been taken from their padlocked presses
for inspection by the visitors, including those by William Turner (1568),
Gerarde (1597), Lobel (1570), Lyte (1619), and others.
At the conclusion of a reverent examination of these many treasures
of the past the President voiced the thanks of the party to our kindly
conductor for his good offices, referring to the excellence of the work of the
o'd-time botanists which we had been privileged to inspect, and he added
his congratulations to Mr. Ramsbottom on his appointment as Keeper.
In acknowledging the thanks of the visitors, Mr. Ramsbottom remarked
that it was appropriate, seeing that the Essex Field Club included some
of his oldest botanical friends, that we should be the first party that he
had conducted through the Department since his appointment.
The visitors then took their leaves and dispersed.
Unfortunately, on the present occasion it was not possible to visit
the Cryptogamic Herbarium, as, owing to the temporary removal of the
stairs in connection with the installation of a lift, access thereto was very
difficult.