An Account of the Bishop of Lnodon's Garden at Fulham; By Mr. William Watson, F. R. S.

Upon the whole, what shall we say? Shall we believe, that Mr. Winkler, relying too much upon the honesty and veracity of Mr. Pivati, and his pretended extraordinary discoveries, suffered his heated imagination to dictate his first letter to Dr. Mortimer; and that what he then sent, he rather hoped would prove true upon experiment, than what really was so? and that his second letter, in which there is so remarkable a diminution of what was promised in the first, was the retreat of one, who was unwilling to be thought to have communicated to the Royal Society any thing, which would not upon trial come out as he had represented it? But be that as it may; as success both here and abroad has been wanting to the endeavours of those, who have desired to repeat these experiments, I shall determine nothing myself; but, from an undisguised representation of the facts, as they have appeared to me, I shall leave every one to deduce his own conclusion concerning the reality of them. XXXV. An Account of the Bishop of London's Garden at Fulham; by Mr. William Watson, F. R. S. To the Royal Society: Gentlemen, I SOME time since communicated to you an account of what remained of the famous garden of John Tradescant at South Lambeth, which you did me the honour to receive favourably: Upon the strength of which I now lay before you the remains of that still more famous botanic garden at Fulham, wherein Dr. Henry Compton, heretofore bishop of London, planted a greater variety of curious exotic plants and trees, than had at that time been collected in any garden in England. This excellent prelate presided over the see of London from the year 1675 to 1713; during which time, by means of a large correspondence with the principal botanists of Europe and America, he introduced into England a great number of plants, but more especially trees, which had never been seen here before, and described by no author: and in the cultivation of these, as we are informed by the late most ingenious Mr. Ray *, he agreeably spent such part of his time, as could most conveniently be spared from his other more arduous occupations. From this prelate's goodness in permitting with freedom persons curious in botany to visit his garden, and see therein what was to be found nowhere else; and from his zeal in propagating botanical knowledge, by readily communicating to others, as well foreigners as our own countrymen, such plants and seeds, as he was in possession of, his name is mentioned with the greatest encomiums by the botanical writers of his time; to wit, by Herman, Ray, Plunket, and others. Mr. * Hist. Plant. Tom. ii. p. 1798. Mr. Ray *, in the second volume of his history of plants, which was published in the year 1688, gives us a catalogue of the rare and exotic trees and shrubs, which he had just before observed in the bishop's garden, which he at that time called hortus cultissimus, novisque et elegantioribus magno studio nec minore impensa undique conquisitis stirpibus refertissimus. As this prelate's length of life and continuance in the see of London were remarkable, so we find the botanists, who wrote after Mr. Ray, most frequently mentioning in their works the new accessions of treasure to this garden; and of this you meet with a great variety of examples in the treatises of Dr. Pluknet, Herman, and Commelin. Botanical, much more even than other worldly affairs, are subject to great fluctuations; and this arises not only from the natural decay of vegetables, and their being injured by the variety of seasons, but also from the genius and disposition of the possessors of them. So here, upon the death of bishop Compton, all the green-house plants and more tender exotic trees were, as I am informed by Sir Hans Sloane, given to the ancestor of the present Earl Tylney at Wanstead. And as the successors of this bishop in the see of London were more distinguished for their piety and learning, than for their zeal in the promotion of natural knowledge, the curiosities of this garden were not attended to, but left to the management of ignorant persons; so that many of the hardy exotic trees, however valuable, were removed, to make way for the more ordinary productions of the kitchen-garden. * Cap. xi. I thought therefore, that the state of this garden, after the revolutions of much more than half a century since what Mr. Ray wrote thereof, would be an acceptable present, not only to the Royal Society, but to such persons likewise, as are curious in these matters. A Catalogue of the exotic Trees remaining in the Bishop of London's Garden at Fulham, June 25, 1751. Abies foliis solitariis, apice acuminatis. Hort. Clifton, 449. Abies taxi folio, fructu sursum spectante. Tourn. 585. The silver fir. Acer platanoïdes. Munting. Histor. The Norway maple. Acer Virginianum, folio majore subtus argenteo, supra viridi splendente. Pluken. Phyt. Tab. 2. Fig. 4. The Virginian flowering maple. Acer maximum, foliis trifidis vel quinquefidis, Virginianum. Pluken. Phyt. Tab. 123. Fig. 4. The ash-maple, vulgo. Arbutus folio ferrato. C. B. P. 460. The strawberry-tree. Benzoin. Boer. Ind. alt. II. 259. The Benjamin-tree. Cedrus Libani. Barrel. rar. Tab. 499. Cedar of Libanus. Celtis foliis ovato-lanceolatis ferratis. Hort. Cliff. 39. Lotus arbor. Caesalpin. Cupressus ramos extra se spargens, quae mas Plinii. Tourn. 587. The male cypress. Cupressus meta in fastigium convoluta, quae femina Plinii. Tourn. 587. The female cypress. Fraxinus florifera botryoïdes. Morris. Præl. Bot. 265. Fraxinus folio rotundiore. C. B. P. 416. The manna ash. Gleditsia. Gron. flor. Virgin. 193. Acacia Americana triacanthos, &c. Pluk. Mantill. The honey-locust. Guaiacana, Pisshamin Virginianum. Park. Hist. 918. The Virginian date plum. Ilex oblongo serrato folio. C. B. P. 424. The evergreen oak. Juniperus Virginiana. Herman. Hort. Lugd. 347. The Virginian cedar. Laburnum majus, vel Cytisus Alpinus latifolius flore racemoso pendulo. Tourn. 648. Larix folio deciduo conifera. J. B. Hist. I. 265. The larch-tree. Lilac laciniato folio. Tourn. 602. Cut-leaved jasmine, vulgo. Mespilus prunifolia Virginiana non spinosa, fructu nigricante. Plukn. Phyt. Tab. 46. Fig. 2. Morifolia Virginiensis arbor, loti arboris instar ramosa, foliis amplissimis. Pluk. Phyt. Tab. 46. Fig. 2. Corylus maxima, folio latissimo Virginiana. Raii Hist. 1799. Nux juglans Virginiana nigra. Herman. Hort. Lugd. Tab. 453. The black walnut-tree. Pavia. Boer. Ind. alt. II. 260. The red horse-chesnut, vulgo. Pinus sativa. C. B. P. 491. The manured or stone pine. Pinus Pinus Americana, foliis prælongis subinde ternis, conis plurimis confertim nascentibus. The cluster-pine. Rand. Hort. Chelf. 156. Quercus alba Virginiana. Park. Theat. 1387. The white or Virginian iron oak. Rhus foliis pinnatis ferratis. Hort. Cliff. 110. Virginian sumach. Robinia aculeis geminatis. Hort. Cliff. 354. Pseudacacia filiquis glabris. Boer. Ind. II. 39. Ruscus angustifolius fructu summis ramulis innascente. Tourn. 79. Laurus Alexandrina fructu e summitate caulium prodeunte. Herm. Hort. Lugd. 681. Siliquastrum. Tourn. 647. Cercis foliis cordato-orbicularis glabris. Hort. Cliff. 156. Arbor Judæ vulgo. Suber latifolium perpetuo virens. C. B. P. 424. The cork-tree. Terebinthus Indica Theophrasti. Pistachia foliis impar-ipinnatis, foliolis ovato-lanceolatis. Hort. Cliff. 456. The pistachia-tree. These just now recited are the remains of that once famous garden; among which are some, that notwithstanding the present great improvements in gardening, are scarce to be found elsewhere. From the length of time they have stood, several of the trees are by much the largest of their kind I ever have seen, and are probably the largest in Europe. This account of them therefore is not merely a matter of curiosity; but we learn from it, that many of these trees, though produced naturally in climates and latitudes very different from our own, have grown to a very great magnitude with us, and have endured our rude winters, some of them, for almost a century: and that they in proper soils and situations may be propagated for advantage, as well as for beauty. For the exemplification of this I would recommend to the curious observer the black Virginian walnut-tree, the cluster-pine, the honey-locust, the pseudo-acacia, the ash-maple, &c. now remaining at Fulham. I cannot conclude this paper, without testifying in this public manner my obligations to § the present bishop of London, who has with so eminent a degree of reputation filled those high stations, to which he has been called, not only for his repeated civilities to myself, but likewise for his assurances to me, that no care shall be wanting for the preservation of the very curious particulars mention'd in this catalogue. I have the honour to be with the most profound respect, Gentlemen, London, June 27, Your most obedient servant, 1751. W. Watson. § Dr. Thomas Sherlock. XXXVI.