522 



A VISIT TO THE JARDIN DES PLANTES. 



very large and beautiful specimen of AraiL- 

 caria excelsa, plants of the Banksia 'prcB- 

 morsa or New-Holland orange, Palme de 

 Sidle, a Pinus longifolia 10 feet high, 

 Araucaria brasilieiisis 12 feet, Araucaria 

 imbricata 30 feet, Eugeiiia myrtifolia from 

 New-Holland, 3Ietrosideros Jloribunda, Pi- 

 nus casuarina, an Orange tree 20 feet high, 

 with a trunk 6 inches in diameter ; with a 

 variety of Acacias and other plants. The 

 hoxes and pots were kept very clean, but 

 there was not that systematic mode of ar- 

 rangement which might have been expected. 



We next visited the hothouse for tropical 

 plants, which is about 50 feet high. Here 

 were some fine specimens of the Banana, 

 the Brownia grandiceps (a large variety of 

 Palms,) Arenga saccharifera 30 feet high, 

 Gastnnia palmata (a plant from the East 

 Indies, with a curious hand-shaped leaf,) 

 Areca rubra with leaves 6 feet long, a 

 Cactus 40 feet high, and Bambusa arundi- 

 Twsa 45 feet high. 



Immediately opposite this house, and on 

 the other side of a main walk, was another 

 house of the same form, in which we no- 

 ticed the Begorda incarnata with a beautiful 

 flower. Begonia vmricata. Arum cordifoUum, 

 Acacia arborea, TernstroBinia, very large 

 Camellias, and the Klemia hawortii, a very 

 curious plant. Immediately over these, and 

 in a sort of gallery, was a collection of 

 smaller plants, among which we noticed the 

 Begonia peponifolia from Mexico, bearing 

 clusters of white flowers, with a glossy leaf 

 22 inches in diameter. 



These houses were both warmed with hot 

 water, and, although containing many rare 

 plants, did not present at that season a very 

 splendid appearance. In one of them was 

 a statue of a woman, pouring, from a pitcher 

 in her hand, a constant stream of water into 

 a basin below, which furnished a supply of 

 tempered water for the plants. Both houses 



were of an imposing style of architecture, 

 totally differing from any horticultural 

 buildings we saw elsewhere. 



The library and galleries next claimed 

 our attention. The former is composed of 

 works on every branch of natural history, 

 to the number of some 30,000. The most 

 interesting of its contents, are the manu- 

 scripts, with original designs and beautiful 

 paintings of fruit and flowers upon vellum. 

 These number some 6000, and are valued 

 at two millions of francs. Among the pro- 

 fessors attached to the library in the latter 

 part of the 18th century, were the brothers 

 Eedoute. One of these, known for his 

 works on the Lily and the Eose, was a very 

 beautiful and correct painter of flowers. 

 This idea of having a painter for the most 

 beautiful flowers and curious plants of the 

 field and garden, belonged to Gaston of 

 Orleans, the proprietor of the garden of 

 Blois, and the first prince of the blood who 

 pursued horticulture with the zeal of a sa- 

 vant, and with royal expenditure. In his 

 garden, the office of painter was made quite 

 as important as that of gardener in chief. 

 His painter of flowers was named Egbert, 

 a laborious and exact artist, whose collec- 

 tion of paintings on vellum was bought by 

 Colbert for the King, on the death of 

 Gaston in 1660. In the steps of Egbert 

 followed Vanspjsndonck, unequalled in 

 coloring, but often wanting exactness. Ee- 

 doute's paintings seem to combine the ex- 

 cellencies of both the others, escaping their 

 faults. He is said to have studied plants as 

 a surgeon studies the nerves, tendons and 

 arteries of a human body ; and nearly all 

 his time was spent in the garden in sum- 

 mer, and in the greenhouse in winter. His 

 lectures are said to have been crowded with 

 all the beauty and grace of Paris, who came 

 to learn some of the simple mysteries which 

 surround the formation of a perfect flower. 



