am inform'd, there was an Academy establish’d in Scotland for the Improvement of Gardening, which fome Perfons of that Country tell me is continued and upheld to this Day, which has the Privilege of examining every Perfon concern'd in that Business, and of allowing or difallowing their Practice, as the Profeffors find the Perfons examin'd are more. or lefs capable of acting as Gardeners; and moreover it is faid, that this Society dictate to the Students in this Art, at fixt Times, fuch Rules as they are to follow, and reafon in Publick with them upon every useful Subject in Gardening: And I wifh there were the fame Opportunity of improving the young Gardeners with us; for Converfation promotes Experience, and Experience leads us. to Perfection.

But as the Company of Gardeners were eftablifh'd by Charter in England, in the Third Year of King James the Firft, the faid Company were afterwards forced to folicit an additional Power, as we may obferve they obtain'd in their prefent Charter; yet as the Town encreas'd in its Buildings, the Company was invaded by many who call'd themfelves Gardeners, and had not the Privilege of their Charter; for ftill as the Town encreas'd in Buildings, there was more Profit for thofe who came to Market, as there must neceffarily be more Inhabitants; and thro' the unfkilful Practice of many who brought unhealthful Herbs to London at that Time, I am told there was a Ploclamation iffued out by King Charles the Firft, directing all Magiftrates to affift the faid Company in the

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Execution of the Powers granted them in their Charter, or to that Purpose: It is certain, however, there was then a Proclamation very much in their Favour.

I cannot however leave this Article without remarking two Things; the firft is, that moft of the large Mulberry-Trees, which we find in or near London and Westminster, were planted in King James the Firft's Reign, on account of eftablishing the Manufacture of Silk; that Prince having written a Letter to the Lords Lieutenants of the feveral Shires of England, for the encreafing of MulberryTrees, and the breeding of Silk-Worms, which it was then thought would add Riches to our Nation; and was it now fet heartily about, it might certainly prove very beneficial to the Publick, and employ a great many Hands which are now idle. The Letter contains an excel lent Leffon to the Lovers of their Country, and is as follows.

JAMES Rex.

Right Trusty and Well-beloved, we greet you well.

T is a principal Part of that Chriftian Care "which appertaineth to Sovereignty, to "endeavour by all Means poffible, as well to "beget as to encrease among their People "the Knowledge and Practice of all Arts and "Trades, whereby they may be both weaned "from Idlenefs, and the Enormities thereof, "which are infinite, and exercised in fuch In"duftries

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"duftries and Labours as are accompanied "with evident Hopes, not only of preferving People from the Shame and Grief of Pe

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nury, but also raifing and encreasing them "in Wealth and Abundance, the Scope which every Free-born Spirit aimeth at, not in regard of himself only, and the Ease which a plentiful Estate bringeth to every one in his "particular, but alfo in regard of the Honour to their Native Country, whofe Commenda"tions is no way more fet forth than in the "People's Activeness and Industry. The Con"fideration whereof having of late occupied "our Mind, who always eíteem our People's "Good our neceffary Contemplations, We "have conceiv'd, as well by the Discourse of "our own Reason, as by Information gather'd "from others, that the making of Silk might "as well be effected here as it is in the King"dom of France, where the fame hath of late "Years been put in Practice; for neither is "the Climate of this Ifle fo far distinct or dif"ferent in Condition from that Country, efpe66 cially from the hither Parts thereof, but that "it is to be hoped that thofe Things which by Industry profper there, may by like In

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duftry used here have like Succefs; and "many private Perfons, who for their Plea"fure have bred of those Worms, have found

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no Experience to the contrary, but that "they may be nourish'd and maintain'd here, "if Provifion were made for planting of Mul"berry-Trees, whofe Leaves are the Food of "the Worms: And therefore we have thought

good hereby to let you understand, that al"tho' in fuffering this Invention to take place,

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"we do fhew our felf fomewhat an Adversary "to our Profit, which is the Matter of our "Customs, for Silk brought from beyond the "Seas will receive fome Diminution; never"thelefs, when there is a Question of fo great "and publick Utility to come to our King"dom and Subjects in general; and whereby "(befides Multitudes of People of both Sexes "and all Ages) fuch as in regard of Impotency are unfit for other Labour, may be, "fet on Work, comforted and relieved, we "are content that our private Benefit fhall give Way to the Publick. And therefore being perfuaded that no well-affected Subject will refufe to put his helping Hand to "fuch a Work as can have no other private "End in us, but the Defire of the Welfare "of our People; we have thought good in "this Form only to require you (as a Person "of greatest Authority in that County, and "from whom the Generality may receive No"tice of our Pleafure with more Conveniency "than otherwise) to take Occafion, either at "the Quarter-Seffions, or at fome other pub"lick Place of Meeting, to perfuade and re

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quire fuch as are of Ability (without defcend"ing to trouble the Poor, for whom we feek "to provide) to buy and distribute in that "County the Number of Ten Thousand Mul"berry Plants, which fhall be deliver'd to "them at our City of, &c. at the Rate of "Three Farthings the Plant, or at Six Shil

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lings the Hundred, containing Five-score “Plants. And because the buying of the said "Plants at this Rate may at the first feem chargeable to our faid Subjects, (whom we

"" would

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"would be loth to burthen) we have taken "order, that in March or April next there "fhall be deliver'd at the faid Place a good "Quantity of Mulberry Seeds, there to be fold to fuch as will buy them; by means "whereof the faid Plants will be deliver❜d at "a fmaller Rate than they can be afforded being carried from hence: Having refolv'd "alfo in the mean Time that there fhall be "publish'd in Print a plain Inftruction and Di"rection, both for the Encreafing of the faid "Mulberry-Trees, the Breeding of the SilkWorms, and all other Things needful to be understood for the perfecting of a Work every way fo commendable and profitable, "as well to the Planter as to thofe that shall "ufe the Trade. Having now made known "unto you the Motives, as they ftand with "the Publick Good, wherein every Man is "interested, because we know how much the

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Example of our own Deputy-Lieutenant and "Juftices will further this Caufe, if you and "other your Neighbours will be content to "take fome good Quantities hereof to diftri"bute upon your own Lands, we are content "to acknowledge thus much more in this

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Direction of ours; that all Things of this "Nature, tending to Plantations, Encrease of "Science, and Works of Industry, are Things "fo naturally pleafing to our own Difpofiti"on, as we shall take it for an Argument of "extraordinary Affection towards our Perfon; "befides the Judgment we fhall make of the good Difpofitions in all thofe that fhall exprefs in any Kind their ready Minds to further the fame; and fhall efteem that in fur

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