BOM HA V GA R DENS. 999 



Violets, anemones, primroses, cowslips; bluebells; lilies oi' 6he valleys 



and other gems from meadow and wood, the roses, -rhododenronsj 



bj ringus, laburnums, hawthorn, fruits, trees, from the gardens ; the 



. Primulas; Ericas, Fuchsias, Pelargoniums, and numerous 



other plants from our green-houses; and even if Ave succeed in 

 producing some of these here, they are so inferior to what we used 

 to see, that we cannot help being disappointed. It is natural but 

 doubtfully recommondable for all Europeans arriving in a new, even 

 int country, to surround themselves, as far as possible, with the 

 ae "moveable objects, which in their home were their daily com- 

 panions, to retain the same dress, the same fashions, the same distri- 

 bution of working and leisure-hours, and even to make no alteration 

 in their diet. This may be a sign oi the love for our homes, but 

 may perhaps in many instances be attributed to a certain amount 

 of pride, an unwillingness to submit ourselves to the influence of 

 other customs, or even to the dictates of nature, a feeling which , 

 when strictly adhered to, is but too often punished by ill-health, 

 uneasiness, discomfort, and often grave disappointments, which in 

 many cases might have been avoided. As is the case with ourselves, 

 so it is with the plants which used to surround us at home, with this. 

 difference, though, that even when hailing from less distant coun- 

 tries, they are much more tender subjects, and have far greafei 

 struggles to contend with in a new country. Their dependence on 

 temperature, rainfall, and other climatic agencies is so great, that 

 the least change will, in many instances, seriously affect them ; and 

 we are to a certain extent ourselves to blame, when their cultivation 

 cause us disappointments, which we by a bit of reasoning might have 

 anticipated. It is, however, not my intention to argue against the 

 cultivation of such plants, but only to warn against too sanguine 

 expectations ; while, on the other hand, I should advise everybody 

 not to be discouraged by unsuccessful results, but to persevere in 

 their efforts, guided by the peculiar local conditions more than by 

 the re | mts of the plants at home, by which means only it will 



be possible to eventually acclimatise such plants and obtain better 

 results in future. I have already dwelt too long on the disappoint- 

 ments of gaixlening in Bombay for Europeans; it is therefore oidy 

 fair to notice the advantages. Then I have no hesitation, regardless 



