JUNE. 235 



The Rose, in some form or other, is generally 

 diffused throughout the northern hemisphere, both in 

 the old and new world : the species are, however, less 

 plentiful in the latter ; for while North America pro- 

 duces only fourteen, Europe has twenty-five. Tem- 

 perate climes are most suited to numerous kinds of 

 roses, for four species only are seen wild in the south 

 of Europe and north of Africa, but then the individu- 

 als are more luxuriant ; for while in the north wild 

 roses have generally only single flowers, in Italy and 

 Greece it is not uncommon to find them with double 

 flowers, growing spontaneously in the woods and 

 meadows. No rose has ever been found in South 

 America or Australia. Sir ~W. J. HOOKER has 

 described nineteen species of roses as natives of 

 Britain, of which perhaps the most beautiful are R. 

 spinosissimct, R. villosa, R. c&sia, R. Sabini, and R. 

 Doniana. Some of the latter, in their prime of per- 

 fection, streaked with white and red, might well 

 inspire a poetical mind to utter the following beautiful 

 sentiment, which coincides with the motto with which 

 we opened this chapter ; and thus, insensibly, we shall 

 glide back into the same strain of thought with which 

 we commenced. 



" O gin my love were yon red Rose, 



That grows upon the castle wa', 

 And I mysel a drop o' dew 



Into her bonnie breast to fa' ! 

 Oh, there, beyond expression blest 



I'd feast on beauty a' the night ; 

 Seal'd on her silk-saft faulds to rest, 



'Till fley'd awa' by Phoebus light." 



WITHERING has observed, that " not less emble- 

 matic of beauty and loveliness than the myrtle itself, 



