228 



in crowded districts of large towns, as well as the numbers of persons 

 who die of diseases superinduced by neglect during the measles, he 

 thus concludes : — 



" With respect to consumption, could we have such a place of refuge as I believe 

 one of these closed houses would prove to be, we should then be no longer under the 

 painful necessity of sending a beloved relative to a distant land for the remote chance 

 of recovery, or too probably to realize the painful description of Blackwood : — " Far 

 away from home, with strangers around him, — a language he does not understand, — 

 doctors in whom he has no confidence, — scenery he is too ill to admire, — religious com- 

 forters in whom he has no faith, — with a deep and every day more vivid recollection of 

 domestic scenes, — heart-broken, — ^home-sick, — friendless and uncared for, — he dies," 

 -p. 71. 



The interest we feel in the subject and our conviction of its impor- 

 tance, have perhaps led us to extend our notice of Mr. Ward's useful 

 book somewhat beyond our prescribed limits ; we however feel assur- 

 ed that we shall be readily excused for this by such of our readers as 

 have used the Wardian cases, whether on the same humble scale as 

 ourselves, or in the more superb style of Mr. Ward's own large fern- 

 ery. In conclusion, we would advise all whose love of Nature is not 

 to be suppressed by the din and smoke of large towns, immediately to 

 set to work, and we can venture to promise that the trifling trouble 

 and expense they may be at, will be amply repaid by the gratification 

 and the instruction they will derive from their observations ' On the 

 growth of plants in closely glazed cases.' 



Art. LXVIII. — Notice of a * History of British Forest Trees, Indi- 

 genous and Introduced.^ By Prideaux John Selby, F.L.S., 

 M.W.S. &c. London : John Van Voorst. Parts 4—9. 



The illustrations increase in beauty and the descriptions in interest 

 as the work proceeds. The details of the inflorescence are drawn, 

 engraved and printed in masterly style : the catkins of the goat wil- 

 low at p. 168, of the aspen at p. 188, and of the alder at p. 221, are 

 extremely pretty. Some of the vignettes also merit the highest 

 praise : the artist's "bit" at p. 193, with its cool and quiet shade, is 

 " beautifiil exceedingly," and so is the peep into a wood at p. 237. 

 The portraits of the trees themselves still somewhat dissatisfy us : not- 

 withstanding the skill and labour bestowed on them, the result is far from 

 satisfactory. We are ever ready to exclaim, " What a beautiful tree ! " 

 but we always refer to the accompanying letter-press to learn its name. 

 It would appear to be a task of infinite difficulty to portray a tree so 



