OLD ESSEX GARDENERS AND THEIR GARDENS. 91
"part I collected with my own hands in Mr. Warner's splendid
"garden. Mr. Warner is Miller's special friend; he will
"accompany me to him, to introduce me."
On his return from America in 1751 he writes "Mr. Warner
"has been very fortunate in sowing the seeds I sent him earlier;
"hardly a single one has failed, but I saw with pleasure the plants
"develope and thrive well in his garden; they could not do better
"in their own native country."
It appears from Kalm's correspondence that Warner was
himself instrumental in getting seeds collected abroad—some, e.g.
obtained at his suggestion by a clergyman in the East Indies,
others from Bengal.
The last of those with whom I am able to deal is JOHN
FOTHERGILL (1712-1780). He was born in Yorkshire, and
at the age of sixteen was apprenticed to an apothecary at York.
He went to study medicine at Edinburgh, and it is worthy of
note that the six professors there under whom he studied had
been students of Boerhaave, the famous Leyden physician
and eminent botanist, who was the friend and patron of Linnaeus
during his stay in Holland. Among Fothergill's fellow students
was Alexander Russell who went to Aleppo as medical officer
to the "English Factory" and is the author of the Natural
History of Aleppo, which he wrote at Fothergill's suggestion.
Fothergill obtained his degree in 1736, and then took a course
of two year's hospital training at St. Thomas's, followed by the
customary visit to the Continent. In 1740 he returned to
London and entered upon his career as a physician. In a letter
to Linnaeus in 1774 he records how he took up gardening 011 the
recommendation of Peter Collinson. "Our Collinson taught
"me to love flowers, and who that shared his comradeship,
"could do other than cultivate plants. It was he who urged
"me to form a garden, himself giving me many things, and
"opportunity favoured the collection of others. Thus has come
"into being a paradise of plants of small extent, whose master,
"if slenderly furnished with botanical science, has at least a
"burning love of botany itself."
Fothergill was a correspondent of John Bartram. He writes
to him "22d twelfth month, 1743-4." "I think myself highly
"obliged, .... for thy acceptable present, which came safe;