press Josephine, to spread a taste for exotic trees and shrubs, and the formation of ornamental plantations. He was born in 1746, at the Château de Courset in the Haut Boulonnais. After having received an excellent education, he entered the army at the age of 17 years, and was soon after sent on duty to Languedoc, where the plants of the Pyrenees gave birth to his enthusiastic taste for botany. In 1784 he left the army, and devoted himself wholly to the improvement of his estate at Courset, where, in a short time, he formed by far the richest collection of plants in France, and created an establishment which ranked at that time with the gardens of Malmaison, Kew, &c. In an arid chalky soil, so unproductive as to be called a desert, M. Du Mont created an excellent kitchen-garden, a large orchard, and an ornamental garden devoted to the culture of foreign plants. These gardens will be found described in the Annales de la Société d'Horticulture de Paris, tom. xiv.; and in the Gardener's Magazine, vol. xii., from our personal inspection. It may be sufficient to state, that, though these gardens do not display fine turf, water, or fine gravel, yet they are of intense interest in point of culture; and that the collection of hardy trees and shrubs, which have attained a considerable size, is not surpassed by any in the neighbourhood of London, in regard to the number of species which it contains. The collection of herbaceous plants is formed into a series of concentric beds. The trees and shrubs are disposed in groups, according to the season of the year at which they flower, as suggested by Du Hamel; but these groups are so thinly planted that room is left for each tree and shrub to acquire its natural size and form. There is an extensive collection of fruit trees, including all the varieties that could be procured in Europe and America. The peat-earth plants are numerous, as are the hot-house and green-house plants. The hot-houses are 200 ft. and the pits 150 ft. in length. In the year 1789 M. Du Mont visited the principal gardens in the neighbourhood of London, and, on his return to his family, was immediately arrested and imprisoned by the government; but he was as promptly set at liberty through the influence with the Committee of Public Safety of his friend, the celebrated Professor Thouin. M. Du Mont published various articles in the public journals of his day; but his principal work is the Botaniste Cultivateur, or Description, Culture, and Use of the greater Part of the Plants, Foreign and Indigenous, which are cultivated in France and England, arranged according to the Method of Jussieu, which appeared in five volumes, 8vo, in 1802, and to which two supplementary volumes have since been added. This work has had the same celebrity in France that Miller's Dictionary has had in England. M. Du Mont died in June, 1824, at the age of 78 years; his estate is now the property of his daughter, Madame la Baronne Mallet de Coupigny, who has presented the green-house and hothouse plants (with the exception of the pelargoniums) to the Société d'Agriculture de Boulogne, but who cultivates the collection of hardy articles, and more especially the trees and shrubs, with the greatest care. The place is visited by gardeners, botanists, and naturalists from every part of the world; and no name in France is mentioned with greater respect than that of the patriarch De Courset.

SECT. II. Of the Indigenous and Foreign Trees and Shrubs of Holland and the Netherlands.

THE indigenous trees and shrubs of Belgium and Holland are very few, partly from the limited extent of territory, but chiefly from the great uniformity of the surface, the soil, and the climate. The only Flora which has been attempted of Belgium is that of Lejeune and Courtois (reviewed in Gard. Mag., vol. x. p. 449.), of which only a part has been published. Holland can hardly be said to have an indigenous ligneous flora; but into that country foreign trees and shrubs were introduced as soon as they were into any other in Europe. The botanic garden of Leyden, and its earliest catalogues, may be referred to as a proof of this; but for its history, and for various details re

lating to the subject, we must refer to the Encyclopædia of Gardening, edit. 1835, p. 69. M. E. de Wael, the director of the botanic garden at Antwerp, has furnished us with a list of the indigenous trees and shrubs of that neighbourhood, which is even more meagre than we had anticipated; and another correspondent has sent us the following remarks on the subject of the Dutch ligneous flora. Many causes combine to operate unfavourably on the growth of trees and shrubs in Holland; the numerous heavy winds in the neighbourhood of the sea, and more particularly the north-west wind, destroy the tops of the high-growing trees, break their branches, and, by shaking their trunks, loosen the roots in the soil, or blow the trees down. This is chiefly occasioned by the little depth to which the roots can penetrate into the ground; for, as soon as they reach the water, they are compelled to take a lateral direction, in consequence of which the trees soon become sickly, or are suddenly loosened from the soft, loose, humid soil by the wind. We have here much marsh and fen land. This soil, which is extremely well adapted for supplying turf or peat, is unfavourable to the growth of timber. Should much rain and strong winds occur, the trees on this soil cannot exist long enough to become old, nor even to have good trunks. In order, therefore, to prevent their being blown down, they must, from time to time, be tied or propped up: but the trouble and expense of this operation cause it to be neglected; instead of it the trees are severely lopped, and this, by causing them to throw down a greater quantity of roots into the wet substratum, only renders them more sickly. The truth of this fact may be perceived in the trees in and about most of the Dutch cities.

"When these obstacles do not occur, the trees exhibit a better growth; for the elms on the embankments in Zealand, which have their roots in a good stiff clay soil, and stand high out of the water on the dykes, endure the sea winds without sustaining any injury; besides which, these trees are judiciously pruned, and this, of course, greatly contributes to their large growth and handsome appearance. Whenever the trees are on high ground, and grow in masses, so as to protect one another from the winds, the vegetation is luxu riant, as is the case at the Hague, and in the woods near the Loo. This strikes even a superficial observer at the first glance.

"Most of the country seats in Holland were formerly near Rotterdam, along the Gravenwej, for example; and at Amsterdam, in the neighbourhood of the Diemermeer: but, as all these seats have been demolished, and new ones formed in the high sandy grounds of the provinces of Guelderland and Utrecht, not many remarkable old trees remain in the former district. Those which time might have spared have been cut down in consequence of the removal of the country seats. The Populus canadensis [? monilifera] appears every where here in an excellent condition, and grows in places where no other tree will thrive, On the sites of some of the old country seats, especially where the ground is elevated, old tulip trees and catalpas are found, both of which bloom freely. The new country seats are laid out with much taste, in parks on a large scale, and on high grounds, in the provinces of Utrecht and Guelderland; and they are planted with exotic trees and shrubs, which afford very favourable expectations for the future. — W."

But, though Holland and the Netherlands are deficient in an indigenous flora, they are by no means so in collections of plants from other countries. This is ascertained from the early catalogues of the different botanic gardens, and from the magnificent publications on botany and gardening which issued from the press of Leyden, Amsterdam and other Dutch or Flemish cities, in the 17th century. Great part of the Netherlands, from its moist peaty soil, is particularly adapted for the growth of American trees and shrubs; and these, especially all the more showy-flowering kinds, are in popular cultivation. (See Gard. Mag., vol. vii. p. 279., xi. p. 103. and p. 219.)

The best collections of foreign trees and shrubs, at present in the Low Countries, are in the different botanic gardens; in the garden of the Botanical and Horticultural Society of Ghent, in the garden of the King of the Bel

gians at Lacken, in the Duc d'Aremberg's seat at Enghien, and that of Sir Henry T. Oakes near Tournay. The nurseries of Holland are celebrated for their fruit trees, and those of the Netherlands for their magnolias and azaleas, and other peat-earth trees and shrubs. That of M. Parmentier at Enghien has long been remarkable for containing a great many species in a very limited space; and that of M. le Candele at Humbeque, near Brussels, contains the best collection of the genus Cratæ'gus in the Low Countries. Some account of this nursery, with notices of its more remarkable trees, will be found in the Gardener's Magazine, vol. xi. p. 537.

In the garden at Lacken there are a few fine specimens of foreign trees, particularly a tulip tree, which Mr. M'Intosh, the head gardener to the King of the Belgians, informs us, had, in 1834, a clear stem of 20 ft., the diameter of which at the surface of the ground was fully 3 ft., and at the height of 20 ft. about 2 ft.; the head was globular and compact. This tree flowered and ripened seeds every year. When Lacken belonged to France, the palace was occupied by the Empress Josephine, who brought her gardener from Paris to superintend the gardens; and the poor man, while he was gathering the seeds of this tulip tree, fell from it, and broke his neck. The trees and shrubs in the Brussels Botanic Garden have been planted within the last fifteen years: those in the Ghent Botanic Garden are much older; among them is a Pópulus canadensis, 100 ft. high, and upwards of 17 ft. in circumference at I ft. from the ground. There are, a Robínia Pseud-Acàcia, 60 ft. high; a Catálpa syringæ fòlia, with a trunk between 8 ft. and 9 ft. in circumference; Viburnum O'pulus, 22 ft. high; two tulip trees, 70 ft. high; a Salisbuùria, 23 ft. high; Gymnócladus, 70 ft. high; lime trees, 60 ft high; and Magnòlia auriculata, conspicua, and tripétala, from 20 ft. to 25 ft. high. In the grounds of Mr. Herry of Mariakirk is a Catálpa, 40 ft. high, with a trunk 6 ft. in circumference at 1 ft. from the ground. In the grounds of Baron le Norman, near the same town, there are, an Ailántus (there called the Virginian sumach), 30 years planted, and 45 ft. high; and a Juniperus virginiana, 40 years planted, and 30 ft. high. The largest salisburia in Holland is in the botanic garden at Utrecht, its height being nearly 50 ft.

In consequence of the present unfriendly feeling between Holland and Belgium, we have been unable to procure notices of the trees and shrubs of the more remarkable places of either country. We know, however, that there are many fine specimens, and that though the winters are colder than those of England, yet that the summers are warmer, and that the greater part of the deciduous American trees and shrubs thrive there as well as in England. Many of the finest azaleas in our nurseries, and some varieties of magnolia and rhododendron, have been raised from seed in the neighbourhood of Ghent. The winters, however, are unfavourable for evergreens, and but few of these are to be found in any part of the country. In Smith's Tour on the Continent, Neill's Horticultural Tour, and in various articles in the Gardener's Magazine, will be found descriptive sketches of many of the small gardens of Holland and the Netherlands, all more or less remarkable for their American trees and shrubs. Of large places which may be compared with the country seats of England, and which might be supposed to afford many examples of fine old trees, there are comparatively few, as has been already observed above by a correspondent, a native of the country.

SECT. III. Of the Indigenous and Foreign Trees and Shrubs of Germany, including Hungary.

that

THOUGH this portion of Europe is of great extent, yet its ligneous flora is much less varied and numerous than that of France. The reasons are, it extends in longitude more than in latitude; that it contains few very lofty mountains, and embraces but a small latitudinal portion of the sea shore. It includes Hungary, however, which enjoys a greatly diversified surface, and an extensive range of mountains, with a ligneous flora which has furnished some

fine trees and shrubs to the rest of Europe; for example, several different species of Pyrus, and the common and Josikaa lilacs. The following enumeration, taken from Roth's Flora Germanica, Willdenow's Baumzucht, and the Flora Hungarica of Waldstein and Kitaibel, and kindly revised for us after it was in type by Baron Jacquin of Vienna, indicates those indigenous trees and shrubs which Germany possesses, that are not also indigenous in Great Britain and Ireland; those which are plants of cultivation, or doubtful as natives, being, as in previous lists, indicated by a star.

Ranunculaceae. Clématis Flammula, Atragène austrìaca.

Cistinea. Helianthemum Fumana, sp. "alpinum foliis Ajuga" Ruppius, vineàle.

Polygalea. Polygala Chamæbúxus.

Tiliacea. Tilia pauciflòra, vulgàris, argéntea.

Acerínea. Acer Pseudo-Plátanus, platanoides, austriacum, tatáricum, obtusàtum.

Celastrineæ. Euonymus latifolius, verrucosus.

Rhámneæ. Rhamnus alpinus más, a. fœ'm, saxátilis, infectòrius, pumílio, rupéstris.

Staphyleàce. Staphylèa pinnata.

Anacardiacea. Rhús Coriària, Cótinus.

Leguminosa. Genísta radiàta, germánica, sagittàlis, procumbens; Cytisus Laburnum, alpinus, nigricans, nigricans var. elongatus, hirsutus, supìnus, capitàtus, austriacus, Weldèni; Colùtea arboréscens, * cruénta; Coronilla Emerus; Onònis Nàtrix.

Rosacea. Rosa sempervirens, fœcundíssima, gállica, alpina, pendulina, pyrenaica, rubrifòlia, álba; Rùbus, several ligneous species of, described in Rubi Germanici, Bonn, 1822; Spiræ`a salicifòlia, chamædrifòlia, ulmifòlia, mèdia Schmidt, oblongifòlia, incàna.

Pomacea. Méspilus germánica, Amelanchier vulgàris; Pyrus nivàlis, bolwylleriana, Chamaméspilus, salviæfòlia; Cydònia vulgàris, Cratæ`gus monógyna. Tamariscineæ. Támarix gállica, germánica.

Amygdaleæ. Cérasus Mahaleb, Chamæcérasus.

Philadelphea. Philadelphus coronàrius.

Grossulacea. Grossulària U`va críspa.

Caprifoliacea. Lonicera nigra, alpígena, cærulea, Xylósteum; Sambucus

racemosa.

Córnea. Córnus más.

Compósite. Helichrysum Sto`chas.

Ericacea. Erica herbàcea, Lèdum palustre, Andrómeda calyculàta; Rhododendron Chamæcístus, ferrugineum, hirsutum.

Oleacea. Syringa vulgàris, Josikæ`a.

Labiata. Hyssopus officinalis, Teùcrium montanum.

Thymela'a. Daphne Cneòrum.

Elæágneæ. Elæágnus angustifolia.

Euphorbiaceæ. Euphorbia sylvática, Búxus sempervirens.
Urticeæ. Mòrus álba.

Ulmacea. Ulmus effùsa.

Cupulifera. * Castanea vésca, Córylus tubulòsa; Quércus austriaca, pubescens.

Betulineæ. Bétula péndula, pubescens, fruticòsa, hùmilis Schrank; A'lnus glutinosa var. quercifòlia, incàna, ?incàna var. mìnor víridis, ovàta, carpáthica. Salicineæ. Salix Ammaniana, holosericea, Hoppeàna, Jacquiniana, hastàta, bigémmis, físsa, retùsa, lanàta, depréssa, polyándra Weigel, Meyeriana, mollíssima, præ'cox, ripària, serpyllifolia, silesìaca, spathulata, Starkeana, uliginosa, undulata, Weigeliana.

Conifera. Pinus pumilio, nigricans; Abies excélsa, Pícea; Làrix europæ'a, Juniperus Sabìna.

Germany may be fairly considered as possessing the ligneous flora of Britain in addition to her own, though, perhaps, there may be a few obscure species as

exceptions. Supposing this to be the case, the ligneous flora of the British Isles, added to the species above enumerated, will give to Germany a flora of upwards of 360 species of indigenous trees and shrubs.

The introduction of foreign trees and shrubs into Germany, subsequently to the time of the Romans, and to that of the foundation of religious corporations, appears to have commenced with the establishment of botanic gardens, The first tree of note, of the introduction of which we have any record, is the horsechestnut, which, according to Beckmann (Hist. of Invent., &c.), was brought to Vienna by the botanist Clusius, somewhere about 1576. In Clusius's Rariorum Plantarum, &c., published in 1601, he states that in 1581.the horsechestnut was considered as a botanical rarity, but that in 1588 there was a tree at Vienna which had been brought there twelve years before, but which had not then produced bloom. M. Bon de Saint-Hilaire (Mémoire sur les Marrons d'Inde), however, says that the horsechestnut passed from the mountains of Thibet to England in 1550, and thence to Vienna in 1588. The first plant of Robínia Pseud-Acàcia was brought to Vienna in 1696; and the remains of it are still living in the courtyard of the palace formerly occupied by Count Fries in the Place Joseph, and now belonging to Baron Sina. The ground on which this tree stands was formerly part of the garden of a convent of nuns, founded by the widow of Charles IX. of France, whose high-steward was the celebrated Augerius, Baron de Burbeck, the friend of Clusius. The oldest foreign trees in Austria are at Schönbrunn, and consist chiefly of tulip trees, platanus, acers, juglans, robinias, and cratægus, planted about the middle of the last century, or earlier. There is a more complete collection, though not quite so old, in the grounds of Prince Lichtenstein at Eisgrub, near Nikolsburg. About the middle of the last century, this nobleman sent M. van der Schott, a German, to North America; who collected there an immense quantity of seeds, which were sown on the prince's estates in Austria, Moravia, and Bohemia, and now form immense forests.

One of the oldest exotic trees in Germany is a Thuja occidentalis, near the old castle of Heidelberg, a drawing of which has been sent us by M. Ritter of Pesth, and which must have been planted when the grounds round the castle were laying out by Solomon Caus, as it bears a ticket stating that it was placed there in 1618. Caus began to plant the castle garden in 1615. (Metzger's Castle of Heidelberg, p. 60.) This venerable tree is at present about 30 ft. high, with a naked trunk leaning to one side, and a very few branches at top. In the gardens of this castle there are two large yew trees, which were planted in 1650, and some cornelian cherry trees (Córnus más), which were brought from Neuburg on the Danube in 1769. There are also some very old lime trees. The Margraves of Baden have from the earliest ages been much attached to planting and gardening. In the grounds of the ancient grand-ducal palace of Durlach near Carlsruhe, which was the residence of this family for many centuries, and a part of the palace walls of which are supposed to be as old as the time of the Romans, there is an ash 140 ft. high, and 19 ft. in circumference at one foot from the ground. A board fixed to the trunk states that it was 300 years old in 1802. As the ash is not indigenous in the neighbourhood, this ash is, probably, the oldest planted tree in Germany. At Durlach, also, there are the remains of an avenue of chestnuts: the trunks are hollow, but some of them are 120 ft. high and 15 ft. in circumference they are thought to have been planted about the end of the sixteenth century. The road from Durlach to Carlsruhe is through an avenue of Lombardy poplars, the oldest and the highest in Germany; none of the trees are under 90 ft. high, and many of them are above 120 ft. Nothing of the kind can be more sublime. The worthy old Margrave Charles, the first GrandDuke of Baden, who died about 1805, and one of his sons yet alive, the Margrave William of Baden, may be reckoned amongst the most zealous promoters of the planting of foreign trees and shrubs; in proof of which, we need only refer to the parks at Carlsruhe, Schwetzingen, Mannheim, and Baden Baden.