In 1876, when I was Secretary of the Office of Works, under which Kew at that time was placed, Sir Joseph came to me and said that the work, especially the correspondence with the colonies, had assumed such dimensions that it was impossible for him to carry it on single-handed. Lord Salisbury was, of all the Ministry, the man most interested in science, so, although the matter did not concern his department—then the India Office—I thought it would be a good thing to bespeak his support in the Cabinet before bringing forward a matter involving extra expense. Lord Salisbury was most sympathetic, and in the end Mr. (now Sir William) Thiselton Dyer was appointed Assistant Director. Kew went on and prospered greatly; but in 1885 Sir Joseph’s old symptoms began to reappear and he had to resign. Upon the strength of a memorandum written by me, Sir William was appointed to succeed him. Sir William Dyer, to my great regret, has told the world in his obituary notices of Sir Joseph in the Proceedings of the Royal Society and in the “Dictionary of National Biography” that Kew “in 1850 passed to the control of the Office of Works, to which officially it was only a pleasure ground and which _never_ felt much sympathy for its scientific character and functions.” I have underlined the word _never_ because it could only mean that Sir William was not referring exclusively to the wretched old hostility shown by Mr. Ayrton. That Sir Joseph did not always take the same view of the relations between himself and the office of which I was the head for twelve years—far longer than any other secretary—is proved by sheaves of letters which I received from him in which he constantly alludes to the support which I personally gave him. Moreover, those letters mostly end with the words, “Yours affectionately.” Had I felt no sympathy with Kew, Sir Joseph would hardly have shown the deepest sympathy with me for thirty-seven years. As a complete answer to Sir William Dyer’s twice published attack I am tempted to bring forward Sir Joseph Hooker’s dedication to me of the volume of the _Botanical Magazine_ for 1897. “The Camp, Sunningdale, December 1st, 1897. “MY DEAR MITFORD, “Duty and pleasure alike prompt me to offer you the dedication of vol. cxxiii. of the _Botanical Magazine_, giving me as it does the opportunity of recalling the years of our cordial official co-operation when the Royal Gardens profited so greatly in every department through your energy, foresight, and love of plants. “To this claim I must surely add the service you have rendered to horticulture and botany by your labours in introducing, cultivating and studying the hardy bamboos, of which your charming work, ‘The Bamboo Garden,’ is the first-fruits. Nor can I omit an allusion to your own garden, unrivalled as it is amongst the private collections of hardy plants in Europe for extent, scientific interest and beauty.