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the earliest collectors of natural and artificial curiosities . To them only may be attributed the after zeal of the founders of the British Museum ; and it is to their ability and assiduity that natural history , as a study , became to be considered no mean part of scholarly education . Linnaeus attests their great merits by bestowing the title of
Tradeseantia on a class of plants specially introduced and cultivated by them . Their very extensive garden appears to have been particularly rich in Eastern shrubs and trees ; and when it was visited in the year 1749 , by Sir William Watson and Dr . Mitchel , many of these interesting remains of past research were discovered to have survived the decay and neglect of all around . The house which was the
repository of so much toil and trouble was large , and bore striking evidences of having been the abode of persons of some distinction . The collection was given , by the younger Tradescant , to Mr . Elias Ashmole , who received it in the shape of a gift , proffered in real astrological form . It was dated December 16 , 1657 , 5 hours 30 minutes post meridian ; and as the giver died in the year 1662 ,
shows that he survived the donation by five years . At his death , Mr . Ashmole bought the house , and after having added materially to the ark , removed the collection to Oxford , where its title was changed into the Ashmolean Museum ; and , very undeservedly , all trace or memory of the Tradescants was lost sight of . Pew persons have been cognizant of this fact ; but Time is generally constant in his revenges , and sooner or later bestows the wreath of Pame to those who really
deserve to wear it . In 1817 , some Scottish tourists , on their way to the Hague , were induced to visit the palace gardens belonging to the archbishop of Canterbury , at Lambeth , and their surprise was greatly shown by witnessing there some remarkably fine specimens of forest trees and shrubs . Is it too much to say that many of these found their way to that pleasant place through the instrumentality of either John Tradescant the elder or younger ?
It is to be presumed , from the very distinguished number of persons who were in the habit of frequenting the house of the Tradescants , that they were both respected as men , and appreciated as industrious contributors to the wants of their times . All contemporary writers speak of them in terms of the highest praise , and take
pains to commend them as deserving the notice of the good and great . Dr . Ducarel , in his Appendix to the History of Lambeth ^ describes the shape and appearance of the tomb which covers their remains , with a minuteness and accuracy which proves his estimation of their exceeding merits .
This memorial was erected by Hester , the widow of the son , and is emblematical of those favourite pursuits in which it was the delight of her departed relatives to indulge . At each corner there is represented a tree , whose branches appear to uphold the slab above . On one side are a somewhat heterogeneous mass of broken Corinthian pillars , capitals , bases , and other architectural designs , together with pyramids , and a kind of obelisk ; while on the opposite are shells , in all sizes and shapes , a crocodile , and in the background stands a castle , YOTi . t . x
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Untitled Article
the earliest collectors of natural and artificial curiosities . To them only may be attributed the after zeal of the founders of the British Museum ; and it is to their ability and assiduity that natural history , as a study , became to be considered no mean part of scholarly education . Linnaeus attests their great merits by bestowing the title of
Tradeseantia on a class of plants specially introduced and cultivated by them . Their very extensive garden appears to have been particularly rich in Eastern shrubs and trees ; and when it was visited in the year 1749 , by Sir William Watson and Dr . Mitchel , many of these interesting remains of past research were discovered to have survived the decay and neglect of all around . The house which was the
repository of so much toil and trouble was large , and bore striking evidences of having been the abode of persons of some distinction . The collection was given , by the younger Tradescant , to Mr . Elias Ashmole , who received it in the shape of a gift , proffered in real astrological form . It was dated December 16 , 1657 , 5 hours 30 minutes post meridian ; and as the giver died in the year 1662 ,
shows that he survived the donation by five years . At his death , Mr . Ashmole bought the house , and after having added materially to the ark , removed the collection to Oxford , where its title was changed into the Ashmolean Museum ; and , very undeservedly , all trace or memory of the Tradescants was lost sight of . Pew persons have been cognizant of this fact ; but Time is generally constant in his revenges , and sooner or later bestows the wreath of Pame to those who really
deserve to wear it . In 1817 , some Scottish tourists , on their way to the Hague , were induced to visit the palace gardens belonging to the archbishop of Canterbury , at Lambeth , and their surprise was greatly shown by witnessing there some remarkably fine specimens of forest trees and shrubs . Is it too much to say that many of these found their way to that pleasant place through the instrumentality of either John Tradescant the elder or younger ?
It is to be presumed , from the very distinguished number of persons who were in the habit of frequenting the house of the Tradescants , that they were both respected as men , and appreciated as industrious contributors to the wants of their times . All contemporary writers speak of them in terms of the highest praise , and take
pains to commend them as deserving the notice of the good and great . Dr . Ducarel , in his Appendix to the History of Lambeth ^ describes the shape and appearance of the tomb which covers their remains , with a minuteness and accuracy which proves his estimation of their exceeding merits .
This memorial was erected by Hester , the widow of the son , and is emblematical of those favourite pursuits in which it was the delight of her departed relatives to indulge . At each corner there is represented a tree , whose branches appear to uphold the slab above . On one side are a somewhat heterogeneous mass of broken Corinthian pillars , capitals , bases , and other architectural designs , together with pyramids , and a kind of obelisk ; while on the opposite are shells , in all sizes and shapes , a crocodile , and in the background stands a castle , YOTi . t . x