DECEMBER. 265 



THE PASSING YEAR AND ITS EVENTS. 



The year 1851 is now fast drawing to its close ; a year long to 

 be remembered as a starting-point in the history of the world, 

 upon what we trust will be a glorious and humanising career. 

 Beneath the roof of a wonderful erection, dksignkd by a 

 GARDENER, men of all nations have met and parted in a way 

 in which such multitudes have never met and parted before. 

 The recolk'ction of the happy hours spent within that won- 

 derful building will ever be gratel'ul to thousands, av, mil- 

 lions ; and if the Crystal Palace is to come down, if the noble 

 elms, whose early foliage shed such a charm upon the scene, are 

 to be again uncovered to the winds of heaven, we hope they 

 may long stand to mark the site of one of the proudest trophies 

 ever raised to the glory of the Creator by the intelligence and 

 industry of man. In our own way there was no little to in- 

 terest and to instruct. Under numerous disadvantages, a really 

 respectable display of plants and flowers was maintained by the 

 following Nurserymen, from the opening of the Exhibition to 

 its close, and it is meet that we record their names. The fine 

 Palm-trees of Messrs. Loddiges lent a natural grandeur to the 

 various works of art that surrounded them. Messrs. Lane's 

 charming collection of flowering Azaleas and other plants was 

 the admiration of all who beheld them ; and scarcely less beau- 

 tiful was the circular group of Rhododendrons from Messrs. 

 Standish and Noble of Bagshot. Messrs. Knight and Perry 

 had some interesting Conifers, as had also Messrs. Paul of 

 Cheshunt; and Messrs. Clark of Strcatham, Mr. Bragg of 

 Slough, Messrs. Weeks, Messrs. Rendle, Mrs. Dennis, and 

 Mr. Ferguson, all contributed an ample share of nature's pro- 

 ductions, which served in no small degree to vary and beautify 

 the noble transept of the glorious building which has been 

 entrusted with the protection of the world's fair. Captivated 

 as every one was by the marvellous display of objects collected 

 from all parts of the globe, it is not to be wondered at if the 

 contribution of Messrs. Peter Tiawson and Son of Edinburgh 

 escaped a portion of the admiration it so richly deserved. It 

 was in itself a vegetable museum of the first order, and re- 

 flected the very highest credit upon this enterprising firm ; 

 and we sincerely hope that the generosity which prompted the 

 oflfer of it as a whole to the Commissioners may be met by its 

 being arranged and placed where ready access may be had to 

 it by the public. 



In recording the events of the past year, we must not forget 

 the establishment of the National Floricultural Society, — an 



NEW SERIES. VOL. I. NO. XII. A A 



