May 29, 1866. } 



JOUBKAIi OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



401 



are now 20,000 or 30.000 to be fonnd in most of the present oatalof^es. 

 The single faiuilj of Oi-chids has probably more different represi'uta- 

 tives in oar hothouses tliiui was the case with all the families of plants 

 put together a hnudi'ed years ago. Fashion, united to the present 

 curiosity of amateurs, causes, from time to time, old plants to be 

 abandoned for new one?^ ; and thus the entire yefjetable kingdom will 

 ultimately pass under the obseiwatioii of civilised man. 



AVhat would horticulturists do, amidst this invasion of thousands of 

 species, had not botanists de^fi9ed convenient plans of classification 

 and nomenclature ? The families, genera, and species, have all been 

 an*angcd in books, just as the districts, streets, and numbers of the 

 houses are in our gi'eat capitals — with this superioi-ity of method, that 

 the form of the objects indicates their place — as if, in looking at a 

 house in a town, one could discover, at a glance, to what street and to 

 what quarter it belonged. The plan of giving a single name to each 

 species, besides its generic name, together with the prohibition of 

 changing names without due reason, and of giving the same appellation 

 to two different species, or to two genera, far e::i.cels oiu- plan of dis- 

 tinguishing individuals. How much it would simplify our intercourse 

 with men, and facilitate our inquiries, if, in Um whole world, the mem- 

 bers of one family only bore the same name, and if each indindual 

 had but one ehinstian name, differing from those of the other members 

 of his family. Such is, nevertheless, the admiiable plan of nomen- 

 clature that science has provided for horticulturists, and which they 

 cannot too much appreciate and respect.* 



THIHDLT. — THE EEXEFICIAL EFFECTS OF THE ASSOCIATION OF BOTA>'Y 

 WITH HORTICULTURE. 



The pursuit of horticulture demands books and herbaria, as that of 

 scicutihc botany requires cultivated, living plants. Thence the no- 

 cessily, which is more and more recognised, of bringing together the 

 materials for comparison in the same town, the same establishment, 

 and even under the same administration, organised so as to facilitate 

 the use of them. How many institutions in Europe, either private or 

 pubUc, would be bfuefited by this arrangement ! How many towns 

 and countries are now deficient — some in libraries, some in herbaria, 

 some in respect to horticulture. Professional men proffer their com- 

 plaint ; let us hope that public opinion may end by listening to them.+ 

 The bringing together the means of study, I have baid, is desirable. 

 Not less so is the interchange of ideas and impressions, both of bo- 

 tanists and horticulturists. Each of these classes must clearly have 

 distinct characteristics ; but tlie one should be influenced by the other. 

 By these means, some too-retiring dispositions may be brought out, 

 and certain dormant powers developed. Horticulture, for instance, 

 has a commercial tendency wliich may be carried too far. Charla- 

 tanism may slide in amongst flowers. Botany, on the contrary, is a 

 science, and consequently rests on the investigation of pure and simple 

 truth. A horticulturist who allows himself to be influenced by a 

 scientific spirit, necessarily frees himself from over-selfish tendencies. 

 Natural history, on its side, by reason of the perfection of its method, 

 its nomenclature and its minute observations, has something technical 

 and dn' about it. which contrasts with the graudeni' of nature and 

 with the sentiment of art. It is for horticulture, combining, as it does, 

 the planning and the decorations of gardens, to develope the jesthetic 

 faculties of the savant, as of the world in general. A lovely flower, 

 beautiful trees, a splendid floral exhibition, excite a sort of admii-ation, 

 and even enthusiasm, similar to the effects produced by music or 

 painting. 



The powers of the German composers of modem days, and those of 

 the Italian painters of the sixteenth century, are justly extolled; but 

 may it not also be said that in point of art they are equalled in their 

 way by the beautiful parks of old England? The feeling of hai-mony 

 in "form and colour, is it not also studied in them ? The effect of con- 

 trast, is it not sldlfuUy managed ? The gradual transition from archi- 

 tectural to natural beauties, is it not treated in an admirable manner ? 

 Yes ; decidedly the English landscape gardeners are poets ; they have 

 draiNTi from the same sources of inspiration as the most national 

 writers of their country, and that source is the appreciation, so imi- 

 versal in England, of the beantifnl, in an aspect of nature which is 

 elegant and attractive, thouf^h somewhat severe. 



Thui^, gentlemen, for the development of our talents, as well as for 

 our actual benefit, Art and Science keep pace together. Let us rejoice 

 over their union, rendered conspicuous to-day by this congress of 

 botanists, held in 'connection with a great floral exhibition ; and after 



* Two years ago I made a request to the Federation des Societes 

 d'Horti culture Beiges, which appears to have been favourably received, 

 and it miiy not be useless to repeat it here. It consisted in begging the 

 horticulturists; who obtain new varieties not to give them botunical pames, 

 with a Latin designation. 5ut merely arbitrary' names of quite a different 

 nature, in order to avoid confusion and useless researches in books. 

 For example, if they called a Calceolaria Sebastopol, or Triomphe de 

 Gand, every one would understand it meant a garden variety : but if they 

 named it Lindleyi, or rairabilis, the student would take it to be a botanical 

 species, and would search for it in scientific works, or in the Floras of 

 Cbili ; and botanists, happening perhaps to mistake it, would add it to 

 the end of the seuus in their books as a species imperfectly kno^vn. The 

 more horticultural names differ from Latin ones, the better it is, unless 

 they can be appended to the scientific nomenclature : as when we say 

 Brassica campcstris oloifera, instead of, shortly, Colza.. 



T The Botanical (iiirdens at Kew nffurd a fine example of what should 

 be done, cither on a large or a more modest scale, in many towns where 

 the means of study tu:e yet inconvenient or incomplete. 



these general observations — perhaps rather too protra ted— let us enter 

 upon the consideration of those more truly scientific subjects, in which 

 many among you are no doubt disposed to take part. 



THE BANQUET AT GUILDHALL. 



On Tuesday evenin^^ a grand banquet took place at the Guildhall, 

 at which the Kif:jht Hon. the Lord Mayor presided. Upwards of ^HO 

 were present, and amongst them were Viscount Powerscourt ; Sir Broke 

 Middlctou, Bart.; RiRht Hon. K. C. Nisbet Hamilton; M. A. De 

 CandoUe, of Geneva; Prefessor Koch, of Berlin; Professor Reichen- 

 bach, of Hamburgh ; Professor CaspaiT. of Konigftberg ; Professor 

 Morren, of liiege ; M. Schulz Bipontinus, of Deidesheim ; M. 

 Meissner, of Basle; M. Weddel, of Poitiers; M. Van Houtte, of 

 Ghent; M. A. Vcrschaffelt. of Ghent; M. Linden, of Brussels; Sir 

 Wentworth Dilke, M.P. ; Dr. Hogg, Dr. Maxwell Masters, Mr. Kelk, 

 M.P. ; Mr. J. Glutton, Mr. Sheriff Gibbons, Mr. Alderman Besley, 

 Mr. Pender, Mr. E. A. Bowring, C.B. ; Mr. MichoUs. Mr. Samuel 

 Morley, Mr. George Godwin, F.R.S. ; Mr. J. J. Bhmdy, Mr. W. H. 

 Dixon; Mr. G. W. Johnson; Mr. T. Moore; Messrs. Veitch, Lee 

 Standish, Bull. Williams, Paul, Waterer, Low, V\Y*udland, Fortune 

 and Captain Walker. 



Grace having been said, and the " loving cup" sent round. 

 The Lord Mayor gave the first toast, " Her Majesty the Queen." 

 He said : " On the throne of this peaceful and coustitutioual country 

 there sits a Royal lady, who reigns not alone over her subjects, but in 

 the hearts of her people. It is amongst the happiest of oar customs, 

 that upon these festive occasions we drink to the health of Hef 

 Majestj-, wishing that her reign may be a long and happy one, and 

 that her people may be prosperous, contented, and free." 



The Lord Mayor then proposed "The Army, Navy, and Volun- 

 teers." He remarked that the bravery and exploits of the Anny and 

 Navy were matters of history. No one could contymphite what was 

 passing in neighbouiTUg countries without the deepest emotion. There 

 was not a heart that did not sympathise, not a tongue that did not utter 

 the hope that the miseries and honors of war might be averted. This 

 was the eaniest prayer of every Englishman, and he trusted that it 

 might never be uttered in vain. 



Admiral Sir George Broke Middleton, Bart., in returning thanks 

 made some remarks on the recent events in South America. Though 

 on such an occasion as the present he was unwilling to introduce a 

 subject which would direct the thoughts of those who listened to him 

 to the horrors of war, yet the news that had recently been received 

 from a distant part of the world had cast a shadow over the profession 

 to which he had the honour to belong; and as that profession had 

 been most ungenerously attacked during the last few days, he felt him- 

 self bound to say a few words in its defence. He alluded to what had 

 been said in reference to the bombardment of Valparaiso. He had 

 the honour to call Admiral Deuman his friend, and he knew him to be 

 one of the most high-spii-ited and gallant otHcers in the service. 



The Lord Mayor next gave " The House of Lords and the House 

 of Commons." There never was a period in the histoid of this 

 counti-y he said, when there was a gieater sympathy than existed at 

 present between the House of Lords and the people ; and with regard 

 to the House of Commons, he thought he might safely say that the 

 intelligence and independence of this great country were fairly repre- 

 sented in that House. 



Viscount Pow^erscourt after having made a few remarks on the 

 present position of matters in the Houses of Parliament, said that he 

 could not resume his seat without congratulating the Committee of the 

 International Horticultural Exhibition on the very beautiful and 

 highly successful Show they had witnes-cd that morning— an Exhi- 

 bition that must have afforded the greatest pleasure to all who took the 

 least delight in horticulture. 



Sir C. W. Dilke, Bart., the Chairman of the Executive Committee, 

 proposed " The health of the foreign visitors and the President of the 

 Botanical Congress." This he said had been the most remarkable 

 horticultural Exhibition that had ever been held, and he was happy to 

 add that it had been most successful in the number of visitors it had 

 attracted. As a whole it was an Exhibition that had never been 

 equalled, and he doubted whether it could ever be surpassed. 

 The toast was received with loud cheers. 



Professor De Candolle, in responding, said : — ** The words of 

 welcome which we have just heard, and the fact that my name has 

 been mentioned in so kind a manner, make it incumbent on me to 

 thank you in the name of the strangers present. You have done them 

 great honour by inritiugthem to this banquet, and, indeed, since their 

 arrival they have not ceased to receive, in private as well as in public, 

 a welcome of which they cannot but be proud, and which will leave 

 manv pleasant remembrances in their minds. This moniing the 

 Pi-in'ce and Princess of Wales and the Priueesses of the Royal Family 

 condescended to express their rcgi-et that they tould not accept the 

 splendid hospitahty over which the chief of thn illustrious city of 

 London presides ; and the bon. baronet who has assisted in all these 

 preparations with a zeal which has been crowned with suet -s, has 

 been kind enough to propose the toast. The only persons wlu> are to 

 be pitied in all this are those botanists and hovticultorists who may 

 have desired to come to London, and who have been prevented from 

 doing so either by their public duties or by the unfortunate state of 

 affairs now existing on the Continent. But let us put on one side 

 the.^e personal considerations, and let us rather congi-atulate ourselves 



