Journal of a Horticultural Tour...

1823. NEILL, Patrick. Journal of a Horticultural Tour through some parts of Flanders, Holland, and the north of France, in the autumn of 1817. xvi, 574, [2] pp. Illustrated with 7 black & white engraved plates, two of which are fold-out plans, by W.H. Lizars after John Hay; 8 illustrations in text. 8vo., 229 x 142 mm, bound in original brown boards with paper label on spine. Uncut. Edinburgh: Bell & Bradfute, 1823. First Edition. Neill undertook his tour of the Continent with fellow Caledonian Horticultural Society members John Jay, Edinburgh planner, and James MacDonald, the chief gardener at Dalkeith Park to the Duke of Buccleuch. Their goal was to trade techniques and seeds with other horticulturalists in Northern Europe and to bring new fruits and vegetables back into Scotland. They traveled in areas under French control which had, until recently, been inaccessible to Britons. The Society wanted to establish an Experimental Garden upon their return where "the fruits of [their] labors" could be "duly reaped." While this did not happen as they expected, this book provides considerable detail of the many gardens, nurseries and markets that they visited. Some light foxing to plates, joint starting, spine label worn, boards rubbed, but overall a good copy, uncut, in original boards.