OLD ESSEX GARDENERS AND THEIR GARDENS. 81
"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."13
J. Britten, writing in 1914, says " There is in the possession
"of the family at Thorndon a catalogue of Petre's plants in
"Philip Miller's hand which, by the kindness of Audrey Lady
"Petre, I had in 1909 the opportunity of inspecting. It is in
"an octavo volume of 310 pages, the right hand only being
"occupied. The plants are arranged under 696 genera. A note
"inside the cover in Collinson's hand states that the list was
" 'drawn up by Mr. Philip Miller,14 gardener to the Physick
"Garden at Chelsea, anno 1736.' "
Botany suffered a great loss by the death of such a patron
at the early age of 30. Collinson wrote to Bartram on July 3rd,
1742:
Oh! Friend John:
I can't express the concern of mind that I am under, on so many
accounts. I have lost my friend—my brother. The man I loved,
and was dearer to me than all men—is no more. I could fill this sheet,
and many more: but oh ! my anxiety of mind is so great, that I can
hardly write; and yet I must tell thee, that on Friday, July 2d, our
dear friend, Lord Petre was carried off by the small-pox, in the thirtieth
year of age. Hard, hard, cruel hard, be taken from his friends—his
family—his country—in the prime of life; when he had so many
thousand things locked up in his breast, for the benefit of them all, are
now lost in embryo.
I can go no further, but to assure thee that I am thy friend,
P. Collinson.
13 Part of the collection appears to have been purchased by the Duke of Bedford, to whom
Philip Miller acted as horticultural and agricultural adviser.
14 "Young Lord Petre came from Scarborough with Mr. Lister .... I found the young
"nooleman to bid fair for as great a virtuoso as any in England. Hi? greatest pleasure at present
"is in plants : he showed me a catalogue of his Exoticks in his garden at Eugerstoue [Ingatestone],
"in Essex .... I believe Mr. Philip Miller has the management of his plants at Engerstone.—
"I find there is a quarrel betwixt Miller and Dillenius. Miller had brought to Dillenius some
"plants to insert into his General History : Dillenius said they were such as he had described
"already: Miller asserted the contrary : hence arose a botanic war. Young Lord Petre is a great
"admirer of Miller, and will not allow Dillenius to be his equal, nor nothing like it, but calls him an
"arrant old woman; and all this, I suppose, by Miller's influence," K. Rauthmell to R. Richard-
son, Oct. 11th, 1731.