Gleditschia, Cércis, Cratæ gus, and Photínia 15 ft. high; some of the finest trees of Pyrus nivàlis and bollwylleriana in the country; of Halèsia, Diospyros, Nýssa, Gymnócladus, Plánera, Juglans, Stuártia, Laúrus, Quércus, Juniperus, Thùja, a remarkably fine Cunninghàmia, and many pines, among which are the greatest number of Pinus Pallasiana to be found together in any grounds in England. Pinus Cémbra has here attained the height of 30 ft. in 35 years; and Làrix péndula that of 50 ft. in the same time. At Blenheim the duke has introduced the finest trees he could procure, in numbers and in masses, as far as he was enabled to do so; and Magnòlia conspícua, of which seldom more than one or two plants are to be found in any one demesne, may be there reckoned by dozens. An account of White Knights, as far as its picturesque beauty extends, will be found in Hofflands's Description of White Knights, Lond. 1819, fol.; and of its gardens, in a botanical and horticultural point of view, in the Gardener's Magazine, vol. ix. p. 664.; in which work will also be found an account of Blenheim, vol. x. p. 99. The Duke of Marlborough's gardener, from the commencement of the duke's gardening operations at White Knights to the present time, has been Mr. Jones. White Knights, which is now the property of Francis Cholmeley, Esq., has its gardens under the direction of Mr. Ward. The house is at present (1835) unoccupied.

William Beckford, Esq., of Fonthill Abbey, began to plant at that place all the rare trees and shrubs which he could procure, about the same time as the Duke of Marlborough planted White Knights. He paid no attention to house or to herbaceous plants, but, like the duke, he planted the choicest trees and shrubs, in quantities, without any regard to their cost; paying for them, we believe, in ready money. We had the satisfaction of inspecting the grounds at Fonthill twice in 1806, when they were in their highest beauty and keeping; and we spent two days in looking at them again in 1833, when they were in a state of neglect, and when the greater number of the rare trees and shrubs, and in particular the pinetum, thornery, and rosary, were almost obliterated by the growth of common trees and shrubs. There are still some fine magnolias, rhododendrons, and azaleas in the American ground, which have been hardy enough to cope with the native trees which have been planted, or have sprung up fortuitously around them. The scenery of Fonthill has somewhat of a Swiss character, from the hilly ridge on which the Abbey is built, and the prevalence of the pine and fir tribe in the woods; and in it there is an air of melancholy grandeur, unlike that of any other place that we are acquainted with in Britain. A description of Fonthill Abbey, when in its most perfect state, has been given by Britton, in his Wiltshire, and a notice of it, as it appeared to us in 1833, will be found in the Gard. Mag., vol. xi. p. 425.

After White Knights and Fonthill Abbey, the following places may be mentioned as subsequently planted, and as containing collections of trees and shrubs more or less extensive. In Bedfordshire, Flitwick House, where an arboretum was planted in 1829. (See Gard. Mag., vol. v. p. 559.) At Woburn Abbey, where a salicetum, or salictum (as the Duke of Bedford more classically terms it, in his Salictum Woburnense), was planted in 1825, and where an arboretum is now, 1835, commenced. In Berkshire, High Clere, where a number of American trees and shrubs were planted, and a great quantity of fine hybrid rhododendrons and azaleas raised, between 1820 and 1830; and Dropmore, where there is the most complete pinetum in England, the species and varieties amounting, in 1835, to 120. In Cornwall, at Carclew, there is a good collection. In Derbyshire, at Chatsworth, a very complete arboretum was begun in 1834; of which an account and ground plan will be found in the Gardener's Magazine, vol. xi. p. 385. In Devonshire, Luscombe near Dawlish (said by Davis, in his Landscape-Gardener, to be "an unrivalled production of fine taste"), Endsleigh Cottage, Mamhead, and Bicton, contain good collections. In Essex, Hylands. In Hampshire, Bishop Stoke Vicarage. In Hertfordshire, Cheshunt, which contains a pinetum. In Kent, at Cobham Hall, a very good collection. In Lancashire, Latham House. In Northumberland, Belsay Castle, where there is a pinetum. In Staffordshire, Alton Towers, and Somerford Hall, where there is an excellent arboretum, with sufficient space allowed for the trees to attain their full size. In Suffolk, Barton Hall. In Surrey, Bagshot Park, Milford, where there is a regular arboretum, Oakham Park, Mere Cottage, and Deepdene. In Sussex, West Dean, and Arundel Castle. In Wiltshire, Wardour Castle, where there is a good pinetum, and Boynton.

In Scotland may be mentioned, Hafton, in Argyleshire; Gordon Castle, in Banffshire; Drumlanrig, and Jardine Hall, in Dumfriesshire; Dalhousie Castle, in Edinburghshire; St. Mary's Isle in Kirkcudbrightshire; and Dunrobin, in Sutherlandshire.

In Ireland, Terenure, near Dublin, where there is the most complete arboretum in the country; and Charleville Forest, in Meath, where an arboretum was begun in 1811.

Several public bodies have commenced arboretums during this century. In England the first of these is that of the London Horticultural Society, whose collection, in their garden at Turnham Green, commenced in 1823, may be considered the first in England. It is to be regretted that the space in the garden devoted to this arboretum was originally much too small; and also, that the trees and shrubs were chiefly crowded together in clumps, which have subsequently never been sufficiently thinned out. In consequence of this, the different kinds have

not had an equal chance of displaying themselves, or of attaining that magnitude and character which they ought to have to answer the ends of an arboretum. (See our ideas more at length, and illustrated by figures, in the Gard. Mag., vol. v. p. 346. and fig. 79., and vol. vi. p. 250. and fig. 44.) There is an arboretum in the Liverpool Botanic Garden, in that of Hull, in that of Colchester, in that of Manchester, in that of Birmingham, and one is just commenced in that of Sheffield. The Caledonian Horticultural Society have an arboretum in their experimental garden at Inverleith; that of the Botanic Garden of Edinburgh has been much increased; and there is a good one in the Glasgow Botanic Garden. In Ireland, the Trinity College Botanic Garden was laid out by Mr. Mackay in 1808, and at first contained only three acres. In 1833 two acres more were added, which are principally occupied by ornamental trees on a grass lawn, with surrounding borders for showy herbaceous plants, and trees and shrubs which require the protection of a wall. An arboretum was commenced in the garden of the Cork Institution, soon after the foundation of the Trinity College Botanic Garden; but that institution has been since broken up, and the plants and trees of the garden sold and dispersed. The Belfast Botanical and Horticultural Society established a garden and an arboretum about 1830. The Glasnevin Garden belongs to the preceding century.

The British nurserymen have not been wanting in forming arboretums. Preeminently among them stand the Messrs. Loddiges of Hackney, who have been assiduously collecting trees and shrubs from all parts of the world, since the middle of the last century; and in the year 1818, when these amounted to above 1200 species and varieties, exclusive of azaleas, roses, and willows they were arranged alphabetically on the right hand side of a walk forming a scroll like the Ionic volute, extending over a space of upwards of seven acres, commencing with the letter A, at the outer circumference, and terminating with Z (Zizyphus) near the centre. The centre itself forming the eye of the arboretum consists of ten concentric zones, devoted to peat earth plants, commencing in the outer zone with Andrómeda, and terminating in the inner one with Vaccinium. The collection of willows, which is very extensive, is placed by itself in the circumference; as is also the collection of yuccas. The collection of roses, which exceeds 1500 sorts, is planted on the left hand side of the scroll walk, and their number being about the same, as that of the trees and shrubs which do not require peat earth, they extend to the commencement of the concentric zones. The surrounding boundary walls are covered with half-hardy trees and shrubs. In 1830 this arboretum was in a high degree of perfection, and in the autumn of that year we had sketches taken

of all the trees and shrubs, to the scale of a quarter of an inch to a foot. As the object of Messrs. Loddiges was to include in one place, not only specimens of each particular tree and shrub, but also stools for propagating them, and a stock of young plants for sale, all placed beside the specimen plant, it became necessary to cut down the specimens as soon as they had attained a certain size; and this was accordingly done with many of the timber trees in 1832 and 1833. To us this has been an incalculable loss, because it has prevented us from examining many of the trees in flower; but the stools or young plants still remain, and the collection is increasing every year. So spirited an undertaking cannot be sufficiently appreciated; and it is only to be regretted that the want of a separate piece of ground for containing the stools and the plants for sale, rendered necessary the felling of a collection of specimens such as could be found assembled together nowhere else in the world. Some account of this arboretum, accompanied by a plan, will be found in the Encyclopædia of Gardening, edit. of 1835, p. 1217. Such a magnificent example could not be expected to be generally followed by commercial men, but it has rendered more frequent the practice among nurserymen of planting out specimens of choice trees and shrubs; and some have subsequently even formed regular arboretums. Among these the first in the order of time, as well as in completeness, is that of Mr. Donald of the Goldworth Nursery, near Woking, in Surrey, which was commenced in 1831, and of which an account, with a plan, will be found in the Gard. Mag., vol. vii. p. 360. This arboretum, which we viewed in May, 1834, already contains a number of very fine specimens. Mr. Buchanan, jun., of Camberwell, has spared no pains in collecting trees and shrubs; and had got together, in 1834, though in a limited space, a collection which may rank next to that of Mr. Donald. Mr. Miller of the Bristol Nursery has also planted an arboretum; and a nursery has been formed by Messrs. Young and Penny, at Milford, connected with the arboretum of Philip Barker Webb, Esq., which Messrs. Young and Penny are greatly increasing every year, by the addition of new species. This arboretum contains a great number of oaks, acers, and pines. Mr. Rogers of Southampton began an arboretum in 1833; and Mr. Page of the same place is also forming one. More or less has been done in this way, in the nurseries of Messrs. Lee of Hammersmith, Messrs. Osborne of Fulham; Mr. Knight of the Exotic Nursery, King's Road, Chelsea; Messrs. Young of Epsom, Mr. Newman of Chichester, Mr. Cunningham and Mr. Skirving of Liverpool, Messrs. Dickson of Chester, Messrs. Pope of Birmingham, Messrs. Backhouse of York, and a number of others. In Scotland, Mr. Lawson of Edinburgh is most assiduous in collecting trees and shrubs, both at home and

abroad; and he has commenced an arboretum, which already contains a collection of pines and firs not surpassed by any in Britain. An account of this arboretum, which will soon be the first in Scotland, will be found in the Gard. Mag., vol. xi. Messrs. Dickson of Edinburgh, Brown at Perth, and Messrs. Austin of Glasgow, have also a great many choice trees planted out, as have various other nurserymen in that country. In Ireland we have already mentioned the nurseries most celebrated for their fine specimens and extensive collections.

CHAP. III.

OF THE HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF THE TREES AND SHRUBS OF THE CONTINENT OF EUROPE.

THE Continent of Europe has supplied, as we have seen in the preceding chapter, a considerable number of trees and shrubs to the British Arboretum. The different countries which compose it have been so thoroughly explored by botanists, that few farther additions can be expected from them; but it will be, nevertheless, interesting to examine the indigenous ligneous flora of each as compared with that of Britain, and its capacity for receiving additions from the trees and shrubs of other parts of the world. We shall take these countries in the order of France, Holland and the Netherlands, Germany, Scandinavia, Russia and Poland, Switzerland, and Greece, Italy, Spain, and Portugal; and, considering the subject as one of secondary interest to that of the preceding chapter, our observations on it will be brief.

SECT. I. Of the Indigenous and Foreign Trees and Shrubs of France.

FRANCE, from its extent, the warmer climate of its southern provinces, and the varied character of its surface, including as it does some of the highest mountains in Europe, and a portion of the shores both of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, contains the richest indigenous ligneous flora of any country in Europe. There are few if any trees and shrubs which are indigenous to Britain that are not also indigenous to France; and there are in addition, in the latter country, all the species contained in the following enumeration, taken from Duby and De Candolle's Botanicon Gallicum, published in 1828. In this enumeration those orders, genera, or species, marked with a star (*), are either only in cultivation, or known or supposed to be not truly indigenous.

Ranunculaceae. Clématis Flámmula, F. var. marítima, cirrhòsa var. pedicellàta, baleárica; Atragène austriaca.

Crucifera. Matthiola tristis; Ibèris Garrexiana, saxátilis, semperflòrens. Capparideæ. Capparis spinosa.

Cistineæ. Cistus incanus, crispus, álbidus, salviæfòlius, corbariensis, monspeliénsis, Lèdon, hirsutus, longifolius, populifòlius, laurifòlius, ladaníferus ; Helianthemum umbellatum, alyssöìdes, alyssöìdes var. rugòsum, halimifòlium,