JUNE, 165 



and variety in the mellowed landscapes of autumn! /^nd even winter 

 is not without its beauties and attractions ; there is much to interest in 

 tracing the ramifications of the leafless trees, or in watching the silent 

 spread of frost and snow, a^ it covers them with a mantle of matchless 

 purity. If we turn from the seasons to the different times of day, fresh 

 sources of contemplation and enjoyment await us ; the leaves and 

 blossoms gemmed with dew-drops in the early morn, and the rich glow 

 of expanded flowers in the twilight at eventide are equally interesting. 

 Then there are new beauties awakened in nature by the appearance of 

 those phenomena known as mists, clouds, and storms. Perhaps there 

 is no time at which a garden offers so much that is exhilarating and 

 dehghtful as immediately afl;er long-deferred rain. The recent dry 

 spring has placed us in a position to receive with more than usual 

 gratitude the boon newly conferred. The long prevalence of dry 

 easterly winds, attended by sunny days and frosty nights, had been 

 little favourable to the progress of vegetation. With what joy, then, 

 did we inhale the first breathings of the soft westerly wind, and with 

 what avidity did the thirsty earth drink in the falling shower ! The 

 denizens of the garden seemed suddenly to awaken with new life and 

 beauty, leaves brightening, flowers unfolding, as the warm rain moistened 

 their parched surfaces. 



The recent shower forcibly called to my mind a scene once witnessed 

 in the forest of that kingly residence, Fontainbleau. The day was 

 serene and cloudless, and after spending the forenoon in the park and 

 gardens, we sought the forest, that we might hold converse awhile with 

 Nature beneath the agreeable influences of its leafy shades. The last 

 place visited, though not the least interesting, was the Hermitage, where 

 some convulsion of remote ages has cast on the surface huge blocks of 

 sandstone, sometimes bare, and sometimes clothed with heather. The 

 extensive and beautiful prospect afforded here induced me to linger till 

 the sun was low in the horizon, and while closely engaged in the 

 pursuit of a beautiful green lizard I was startled by the rumbling of 

 distant thunder, and saw signs portending a coming storm. The 

 heavens grew blacker by degrees, while the peals of thunder reverberated 

 among the distant hills ; I was six miles from shelter, and therefore 

 judged it prudent to retire, and drove some distance through the forest, 

 the tempest scowHng over my head, and the declining sun at my back. 

 As the sun cast a lurid purplish flame on the tufts of trees occasionally 

 met with in the glades and openings through which I passed, the 

 contrast of light and shade was intensely beautiful, and the whole 

 scene impressively grand and sublime. It was striking to behold how 

 greatly the aspect of the forest was changed in the short space of an 

 hour or two. Silence reigned supreme ; the axe of the woodman, the 

 hum of insects, and the songs of the feathered tribe were alike hushed. 

 l^ome flowers which were seen in the morning holding their faces up to 

 tlie sun, as it fell through the trees above, were now folded up, whilst the 

 forest cattle before scattered were gathered together in motionless groups 

 or hid from view amid the dense tufts of trees. Soon " the big rain 

 came dancing to the earth," and it was indeed a shower fraught with 

 fragrance and fruitfulness. 



