DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



nience of town hotels generally have been ex- 

 ceedingly improved within the last ten years — 

 but those in the country are for the most part 

 lagging behind. In the country where every 

 body travels, too much attention cannot be 

 paid to designing and keeping hotels, in the 

 best manner. En. 



" Tauntjjn has stolen a march on the progress 

 of the age. It probably shows the effect of a 

 few superior minds among its business popula- 

 tion. The singular advance beyond other towns 

 of same size is visible in many things; but, 

 among other surprises for the traveller, there 

 is a hotel of Venetian architecture, built in as 

 good taste as any gentleman's residence in tlie 

 country, and furnished and kept in full accor- 

 dance with its peculiar elegance of exterior. 

 The contrast, between the impression with 

 which one would probably visit the town for 

 the first time, and what one finds there, in the 

 advance of art and luxury, could scarcely be 

 exceeded. One hears of it as the place for nails 

 and herrings, and, if there is a peculiarly in- 

 tense specimen of tlie Yankee to be written 

 about, he would be described as coming " from 

 Taunton, good Lord!" by every anecdote- 

 monger in the country. Yet neither at AVind- 

 sor nor Versailles would the traveller be lodged 

 and waited on half so luxuriously, nor in any 

 small town in England would the private resi- 

 dences, and their accordance with the natural 

 features of the place, show a taste more refined 

 and liberal. The public square — Taunton 

 Green, as it is called — is heavily shaded with 

 old and venerable trees, and it has the effect 

 of a noble court-j-ard to the richly balconied 

 and turreted hotel, while on its opposite sides 

 are one or two mansions of model architecture 

 and grounds — the sitter in any one of the pic- 

 turesque galleries, upon which open the long 

 windows of the public house, having nothing 

 within view that would not accord with his 

 dream of the most tasteful stopping-places of 

 Europe." 



Pennsylvania Hort. Society. — The stated 

 meeting of this society was held on Tuesday 

 evening, Oct. 21 — Dr. W. D. Brinckle in the 

 chair. The displays of fruits and vegetables 

 were very rich. One collection of plants from 

 Robert Buist's houses, were interesting; but 

 the object most admired, was a cut flower of 

 the Victoria regia. This specimen was in the 

 finest condition of any heretofore shown before 

 the society, and was truly beautiful. A num- 

 ber of handsome baskets of cut flowers and 

 bouquets were exhibited. The show of fruits 

 was remarkably fine, and consisted of grapes — 

 very large "White Syrian, from U. B. Tidden's 

 houses, Tacony, — Black Hamburg, from H. "W. 



S. Cleveland, — Blade Morocco from the Presi- 

 dent's, and Decandolle, from Miss Gratz's. Of 

 pears, there was a great variety, and some 

 luscious specimens. Isaac B. Baxter presented 

 large and fine Duchess d'Angouleme; Mrs. Jno. 

 B. Smith, Passe Colmar, Sieulle, D. d'Angou- 

 leme, Buerre d'Alembert and Holland Green ; 

 Caleb Cope, Beurre Diel, Sieulle and Bleeker's 

 Meadow ; Edm'd Jones, Kingsessing, the Jones; 

 A. M. Eastwick and A. Fulton, jr., two un- 

 known varieties. Other varieties were shown, 

 from C. B. Lines, New-Haven, the Calhoun, 

 Jones' Winter, Jones' December and January ; 

 from J. C. Hastings, Clinton, Oneida Co., N. 

 Y., Fredericka Bremer; from Matthew Mackie, 

 Clyde, N. Y., Sheldon; from J. P. Cushing, 

 Boston, Doyenne Gris; from M. P. Wilder, 

 Boston, six native and nineteen foreign varie- 

 ties. Of apples, M. Synder exhibited — Bell- 

 flower, HageS; Pennock, Carthouse and Smoke- 

 house; Jno. Perkins, Ridge Pippin and Pen- 

 nock; B. F. Hodges, a seedling from the Bell- 

 flower; and from J. W. Bailey, Plattsburgh, 

 N. Y., Bailey Spice, and Snelly Autumn; from 

 J. C. Hastings, an unknown variety; from M. 



Mackie, the Clyde Beauty, and from N. 



Y., Baily Spice, Fall Harvey, Jack, Jcwett's 

 Red, Late Strawberry, Melon. Minister, North- 

 ern Spy, President, Sweet Baldwin and Sponge. 

 Of vegetables there were five tables of well 

 grown esculents. 



A special report, emanating from the com- 

 mittee on plants and flowers, fully describing 

 the Victoria regia, as it appeared when visited 

 by the committee on the 28th of August, was 

 submitted, and their recommendation that a 

 gold medal should be presented to Caleb Cope 

 for his liberality and energy in bringing into suc- 

 cessful and mature growth that truly wonder- 

 ful water lily, was unanimously sanctioned by 

 the society. In the report of the committee 

 on flowers and designs, at the recent autumnal 

 exhibition, read this evening, a recommenda- 

 tion awarding twenty-five dollars to Jno. Ellis, 

 gardener to Caleb Cope, for his skill in the cul- 

 tivation of the Victoria regia, was also con- 

 curred in by the Society. Thos. P. James, 

 Rec. Secretary. 



The Berkshire Hort. Society held its 

 fourth annivers&ry at Stockbridge, on Wednes- 

 day the 17th of September. The number of 



