COLLECTANEA. 1:03 



the whole of their collections were worth. The Frenchmen sold last 

 spring, roses, and falsely called them scarlet lilacs, and red laburnums, 

 to the amount of £1000 in London alone. — From the Bath Journal. 



Gigantic Flower. — In 1818, Doctor Arnold discovered in the 

 Island of Sumatra, a flower, which, he named the Rafflesia Arnoldi, 

 and which an author has called with much justice " the magnificent 

 Titan of the vegetable kingdom." The human mind had never con- 

 ceived such a flower, the circumference of the full expanded flower is 

 nine feet, its nectarium calculated to hold nine pints, the pistels are 

 as large as cows horns, and the entire weight of the blossom com- 

 puted to be fifteen pounds. 



Fireside Tradition has given to many an herb and bird, a 

 stamp and odour of Ould Langsyne, the Pansy is still sacred to 

 Oberon and Titania ; the Miseltoe is not of our generation ; the 

 mandrake is still a departed fearful gbost of other days ; the toad is 

 the most ancient of reptiles ; and the raven is " a secular bird of 

 ages"; but this imputation of antiquity belongs not to every flower 

 that has been sung in past ages; the rose and lily have been time 

 immemorial the poet's themes, yet they are not antiquities, their 

 loveliness has no more relation to one age than another. — Fragment 

 from Chamber's Journal. 



The first evening meeting of the Bath Royal Horticultural and 

 Floral Society, for the purpose of Horticultural discussions, took 

 place on Tuesday evening, Jan. 12th., at Mr. Collings's, SavilleRow, 

 and was well attended, R. Godfrey Esq. in the chair, who delivered 

 an able introductory lecture, H. St. John Maule Esq., read a paper 

 contributed to the society by the Rev. R. Hoblyn, on the best means 

 of cultivating the Hautbois Strawberry. Mr. Slater read a short 

 paper on the means of growing the roots of Hyacinths in this coun- 

 try, in as great a perfection as those imported from Holland. S. 

 Barrow, Esq., will take the chair at the next meeting, when speci- 

 mens of Camellias, and forced Hyacinths, Tulips, &c, will be ex- 

 hibited. 



Horticultural Society of London, Dec 1st. The collection of 

 flowers exhibited, was interesting, considering the late period of the 

 year, especially the collection of chrysanthemums, from the society's 

 garden, the different specimens of plants from the Hon. W. F. Strang- 

 ways ; and some very fine specimens of the Bignonia venusta, from 

 Miss Trevor, of Tingrith, near Woburn. Independanc of the 

 beauty of this plant, the season of its blossoming must always render 

 it one of the most desirable of hot-house climbers, being found to 

 continue in flower from the beginning of November until February, 



