IMPRESSIONS OF CHATSWORTH. 



301 



Over this hill of rock-work, is conducted 

 a flight of steps ; this leads you to a light 

 gallery carried quite round the conservatory. 

 Whence, as you may imagine, the eye of 

 the spectator revels in the strangeness and 

 novelty of the masses of oriental vegetation, 

 not plants half-starved and dwarfed in pots, 

 but trees nearl}^ full-grown, and luxuriating 

 with their roots in the warm soil — Palms, 

 Dates and Bananas, developing almost all 

 their native grandeur and oriental wildness I 



I attempted to keep no notes of the many 

 rare and interesting plants that Avere shown 

 me here. Amherstia nobilis however I saw 

 — a plant so rare, and so coveted, that a 

 collector was sent by the Duke, specially to 

 India for it ! I believe it is the only plant 

 in Europe. It is a native of the Burman 

 Empire, where only one tree of it is yet 

 known. It is said in its flowers and foliage 

 to surpass any other tree in the world. The 

 flowers are preserited as ofTerings before the 

 images of Buddha. All the amateurs, of 

 course, are in agonies to see this plant 

 bloom ! 



The appearance of the exterior of this im- 

 mense glass pleasure-ground, is quite differ- 

 ent from anything that I ever saw in the Uni- 

 ted States. It is not a smooth surface of 

 glazed sashes — but a great curved surface, 

 glazed in what is technically called the ridge 

 and furrow system. The look it has at a dis- 

 tance is as if the whole roof had been nice- 

 ly crimped, like the folds of a plaited ruffle. 

 As you look at it from without, it is, on the 

 whole, entirely satisfactory — massive and 

 grand. Touching the inside — I was some- 

 Avhat disappointed, as the wooden rafters 

 are necessarily heavy. But this, I have no 

 doubt, will be less apparent when the luxu- 

 riant vines and creepers have quite covered 

 them. On my route through the grounds I 

 was shown the tree which the Queen plant- 

 ed to commemorate her visit here two years 



ago. It is doing well, is an object of more 

 interest and solicitude, than any body but a 

 loyal subject can well understand or con- 

 ceive of, and I contrived to enrich my book 

 of meme7itos with a leaf. 



An arboretum, or collection cf rare hardy 

 trees, is quite the leading fashion in Eng- 

 land — a very useful and instructive fashion, 

 introduced I believe by Mr. Loudon. I may 

 give you a glimpse of the extent of orna- 

 mental planting here, by stating that 50,000 

 Rhododendrons are now growing, all of 

 which have been planted since Mr. Pax- 

 ton, the present able manager, came here," 

 some twelve years ago. In the range of 

 the Arboretum I noticed the finest specimen 

 of our great California Pines — Abies Doug- 

 lassii, and A. nobilis, that I have any where 

 seen. They are on the side of a rocky 

 bank and will no doubt, soon become gi'and 

 trees. I should say they are thirty feet 

 high now. The Norfolk Island Pine is 

 perfectly hardy here, the Deodar Cedar grows 

 surprisingly fast, and dozens of arboricul- 

 tural varieties that will not bear our winter 

 seem quite acclimated here. Among the 

 notabilities I remember seeing a Fuchsia on 

 the " conservative wall," that covered a 

 space twenty fee/ everyway ; and a famous 

 peach tree trained in the kitchen garden, 

 which bears, or has borne, fifty dozen peaches 

 in a season ! 



In all the points of a perfect country place 

 of the first class, Chatsworth is complete. 

 Forcing houses, without end, separate green 

 houses for all kinds of rare plants, stables, 

 cricket grounds, &c., out of doors — and the 

 choicest collections in all departments of 

 the fine arts within doors. About one hun- 

 dred and forty men are constantly employ- 

 ed on the grounds near the house. In this 

 way you see, a large income is turned to 

 some account — giving occupation to quite a 

 village of people. 



