THE PARK AT BIRKENHEAD. 



believe to be the original of the far-famed Ohio, or Cigar-box Grape, of Mr. Longworth. 

 The leaves and growth of the plant are the same, and no difference exists in the taste of 

 the fruit or the formation of the bunches. It is there known by the name of the Jack 

 Grape, so called from an old Spaniard of the name of Jaques, who introduced the vine. 

 I do not think it a native grape. The vine, when I saw it in 1840, was trained to a small 

 arbor, and had on it more than two thousand hunches of grapes, many of them a foot in 

 length. ]Mr. C. imformed me that many years previous he had sent Mr. Longworth the 

 cuttings from this vine, on several occasions as opportunity offered, but had never heard of 

 their being received. There are other matters in and about Natchez, in the horticultural 

 line, worthy of notice, but as my notes have already exceeded what I intended, I must 

 conclude for the present. Stlvanus. 



New-Orleans. March 20, 1851. 



THE PEOPLE'S PARK AT BIRKENHEAD, NEAR LIVEROOL. 



BY W., STATEN ISLAND, NEW-YORK. 



Birkenhead is the most important suburb of Liverpool, having the same relation to it 

 that Brooklyn has to New-York, or Charlcstown to Boston. When the first line of Liv- 

 erpool packets was established, there were not half a dozen houses here; it now has a po- 

 pulation of many thousands, and is increasing with a rapidity hardly paralleled in the 

 New World. This is much owing to the very liberal and enterprizing management of the 

 land-owners, which affords an example worthy of consideration in the vicinity of many of 

 our own large towns. There are several public squares, and the streets and places are 

 broad, and well paved and lighted. A considerable part of the town has been built with 

 uniformity, and a reference to general effect, from the plans, and under the direction of a 

 talented architect, Gillespie 'Graham, Esq., of Edinburgh. 



We received this information while crossing the INIersey in a ferry-boat, from a fellow 

 passenger, who, though a stranger, entered into conversation, and answered our inquiries, 

 with frankness and courtesy. Near the landing we found, by his direction, a square of 

 eight or ten acres, enclosed by an iron fence, and laid out with tasteful masses of shrub- 

 bery, (not trees,) and gravel walks. The houses about were detached, and though of the 

 same general style, were sufficiently varied in details not to appear monotonous. These 

 were all of stone. 



We had left this, and were walking up a long, broad street, when the gentleman who 

 had crossed the ferry witb us, joined us again, and said that as we were strangers, we 

 might like to look at the ruins of an abbey which were in the vicinity, and he had come 

 after us; that if we pleased he might conduct us to it. What an odd way these English- 

 men have of being " gruff and reserved to strangers," thought I. 



***** 



Did you ever hear of Birkenhead Abbey.'' I never had before. It has no celebrity, but 

 coming upon it so fresh from the land of Youth as we did, so unexpecting of an3'^thing of 

 the kind — though I have since seen far older ruins, and more renowned, I have never 

 found anything so impressively aged. 



***** 



the ^larket place we went into a baker's shop, and while eating some buns, learned 

 the poorest flour in the market was American, and the best, French. French and 



