3S6 



FOREIGN NOTICES. 



with the mainland. Not far from this point of 

 view, may be seen some 'remarkable plants. 

 Amon£f these are Cupressus horiaontalis, about six 

 feet high J aiid a vast row of Launis iiobilis, thir- 

 teen feet high. Towards the south, in the open 

 ground, is a large Agave aracricana, which even 

 for this and the next year, shows its gigantic pa- 

 nicles. 



There are no wild plants at Venice ;^ and in or- 

 der to meet with these growing spontaneou.sl3', 

 one must visit the banks of the canals touching 

 the mainland, or the banks of the Adriatic. There, 

 are found plants somewhat rare, growing with 

 others of greater frequency.. There are Eryngi- 

 um amethyst inum, Cakile maritima, Scoraonera 

 hispaniea, Crithmiim maritimura, Plantago eor- 

 nuti, and several kinds of Salsola and Salicornia. 

 There, in the midst of this maritime vegetation;, 

 Verbena officinalis, Cichorinm Intybus, Medicago 

 falcata, and Xanthinm macrocarpum, grow every- 

 where on the banks. I have found Poa eragrostis 

 and Tragus racemosus growing on the sands — 

 grasses which also grow beside our mineral springs. 



BOTANIC GARDEN OF PADUA. 



This ancient town has preserved much of its 

 magnificence. There are beautiful and handsome 

 churches, prize pictures, and rich mausoleums. 

 Even the language of St. Anthony is fondly cher- 

 ished. In Padua are many large squares and pro- 

 menades, and the statues are really enormous. 



The Botanic Garden, the oldest in Italy, was 

 the scene of a portion of the fetes which are held 

 during the sitting of Congress. Groups of musi- 

 cians were distributed! on the Jawn, under the 

 shade of large old exotic trees. A red and white 

 tent was erected before the conservatories, and af- 

 forded protection to a horticultural exhibition, at 

 which every amateur had been inviteil tocompe-te. 

 After having seen the exhibitions of Ghent, Paris, 

 and Clermont; after having seen thehorticalturists 

 contend, with trouble and perseverance, against 

 the rigors of climate, I expected to find, at this 

 city of flowers, under a pure sky, an ethereal gar- 

 den, such as Mahomc-t promised to his followers, 

 or an Eden, such as had been given to- our first 

 jjarents. Perhaps these preeonecived idoas had, 

 in spite of me, some influence on my imagination ,•• 

 but I must say, that what struck me most in this 

 exhibition, was the gaudiness of the sentinels which 

 were stationed on every hand. 



But apart ft-om this all was ai-rangcil-with mueh 

 taste. In the midst of the tent was a column with 

 the bust of Csesalpin, and all arownd were- grouped 

 the flowers and fruit, of v/hieh the latter was the 

 most select, and consisted of many varif^ties, be- 

 longing in particular to the fine family of Hespe* 

 rides (oranges.) Of such were the Citrus picto- 

 rum, very large, and covered with orange warts;; 

 a dish of Citrus del Brocoo, oi Citrus florentina, 

 of a fine green; of Citrus " scadek,''' having the 

 form of a handsome coloquintida gourd, a little 

 depressed at the crown ; of Citrus verrucosa, 

 covered w'ith warts, all from Mr,.Scipion Maupoil, 



who also furnished fine grapes of " Uva odorata." 

 M. de Salvi, of Venice, sent a curious lot of ripe 

 fruit of Magnolia, consisting of M. triumphans^ 

 Soulangcana, discolor, amabilis, cordata, speciosa. 

 Yuian, glauca, striata, grandifiora, maerophyllay 

 and Norbcrtiana ; also fruit of Madura aurantiaca, 

 camellias, artificially impregnated, and Asimina 

 triloba. Besides these, there was a fruit-bearing 

 Banana; a Vanilla, with its siliquas nearly ripe;- 

 numerous Pine-api)les, and outside the tent a col-^ 

 lection of orangc-s in pots, all hearing fruit. But 

 amidst all these riches, the attention of the visitor 

 was especially 'directed to a dwarf pear tree. It 

 was growing in a pot, and did not mea.sure more 

 than a foot and a half in height,. It appeared to. 

 be Pyrns rcgalis, and had but one fi'uit, whic-h, at 

 tlie least, must have weighed- two pounds. This, 

 prodigy belonged to the Abbe Berlcae. If any- 

 thing was wanteJ to com])lett- the fine picture of 

 the pomological ricJies of Liombard}', it was only 

 necessary to sxo to the public streets and the mar- 

 kets;, there the numerous varieties of figs, peach- 

 es, grapes, pomegranates, apples, and pears, 

 goiu'ds, and juelons, formed, themselves, a grand 

 exhibition,. I much regretted to see the art of the-^ 

 Bouquetier, which, is carried on in LGUil)ardy, as 

 in Florence, to so high a degree of perfeclion, re- 

 presented by a single subject, consisting of a vase 

 of flowers, compo.scd by Signor Domini«o Beda.. 

 To make a bouquet sometimes requires great 

 pains, for in Italy,,, at a'i the fetes, those ornamen- 

 tal uelicaeics furnished by the confectioner are- 

 generally replaced by elegant bouq.uets of natural, 

 flowers. The bouquet is .sometimes a vase, a 

 erowH, an obelisk, or sonaething else in this way,. 

 serving as the- ornament of the b&nquet, and fixing- 

 the att(?ntion of the eoiiipany. 



1 shall try to give- an itlea of a bouq«ct by de- 

 scribing that of Signor BeUa.. The' flowe-rs of it 

 formed- two rataacs or tier.s composed of crowns- 

 artJ'SticaHy variegated. Verbenas of different co- 

 lours, commeneing with bright rei and finishing 

 with the most delica,te rose, formed coneenlrie cir- 

 cles, w^hicli surroundeil beautiful corymbs of yellow 

 Lantanas in the centre and roses ontskle-; then,, 

 white umb&ls of Clypeol'a maritima, a pjant found- 

 at the sea-shore-, and which is used in forming the- 

 base of the Italian bouijuets. A garland of the- 

 green leaves of r©se-sc-ented Geraniums bordered* 

 this first part of the structure, like the rim of the 

 vase of a little fountain, and fromwiiich v^^ere sus- 

 pended by the long peduncles the buds and half- 

 opened flowers of Fuchsias^. The- second, or under 

 part of the structure, wider than the ot'Aer, pre- 

 sented a beautiful blue and vrhitc- mosaic work, 

 compo.sed of Dclphinums and Clypoola maritima. 

 Thi,? fine assemblage was surrounded by a large 

 crovy-n of Heliotrope:*, and connected' with aones of 

 rose and violet -coloured Bal.^ams, alternating with 

 Stevia and Motherwort. At last a girdle of recJ 

 Gomphrenas, a diadem of Nasturtiums, an aureole 

 set olf with Mimosa, and the hanging flowers of 

 Abutilon striatum, completed the w^hole atructure-,. 



