the Mamiscripts of the late Peter ColUnson. 203 



ceeds him, for he intends to cloihe all the lofty naked hills 

 above him with evergreen woods. Great portions are al- 

 ready planted, and he annually raises infinite numbers in 

 his nurseries from seeds of pines, firs, cedars, and larches. 



In the duke of i\r<i:yle's .vood stands the largest New- 

 England or VVeymoutn pine. Tiiis, and his largest cedars 

 ot Lebanon now siahding, were all raised bv himfrom seed 

 in the year 1723 at his seat at Whitton n-i-ar Hounslow, 



This spring, 1762, all the duke of Argyle's rare trees and 

 shr.ubs were removed to the princess of Wales's garden at 

 Kew, which now excels all others, under the diix-ction of 

 lord Bute. 



Mr. Vernon, Turkey merchant at Aleppo, transplanted 

 the weeping-willow from the river Eupluatts, broucht it 

 xvith him to England, and planted it at his seat at Twick- 

 enhani-park, where I saw it growing anno 174S. This is 

 the origiual of all the weeping-willow's in our cardens*. 



October the 16th, 176.5, invent to see Mr. Rogers's vme- 

 yard, all of Burgundy grapes, and seemingly all perfectly 

 ripe. 1 did not see a green half- ripe grape "in all this great 

 quantity. He does not expect to m;rke less than fourteen 

 hogsheads of wine. The bunches and fruit are remarkably 

 large, and the vines very strong. He was formerly famous 

 for ranunculuses.. 



October I8ih, 1765, I visited Mrs. Gaskry, at Parson's 

 Green, near Fulham. This long, hot, dry sum'mer has had a 

 remarkably good ct^ect on all will fruits. Apricots, peaches, 

 and nectarines ripened much earlier than usual, and have 

 been excellent : but the most remarkable was the plenty of 

 pomegranates, near two dozen on each tree, of a remarkable 

 size and fine ruddy complexion, of the size of middliru'- 

 oranges. One that was split sho.ved the redness and ripe° 

 licss within. 



John Buxton, esq., of Shadwcll near Thttford in Nor- 

 folk, trom the acorns of 176-2, sowed or p'auted on forty- 

 iwo acres of land 120 h\);hels, containing as near as can 

 be computed 1,432,320 acorns; which Is nearly 34,103 



• This 18 the first authentic account ^\e have had of its introduction ; t!ie 

 «ory of its bi?inT raised froma;ii.-e vM^y of a fruit-b.iikei, received from 

 Spain Iw Pope, being only on newspaper authority to hite as ."^U'^ust 1801. 

 —See Mil't-r's Dictionary by .Vcirtya A. B.L. ° 



Sir Thomas Vernon t;f tonJ jn/Knisrht, and sometiiTe member for that 

 city, died in 1705, leaviti,^ two sons. Htnry the eldest died uuniarrleJ at 

 r\lepp5 in Syria, a<red .51 ,- hi9jnor;!rnpiit is in St. Stcph.-n'i church, Coie- 

 maii-street. Thomas Vernon, the oecond son, resided at Tvviclienhaqi-park, 

 Middlesex. 



The above communi^ted to ne bv sir William A'Cuurt. ban , nephew 

 to .VIr.V*rnon. A. B.L. ' ' r 



acorns 



