London and Paris, in 1849. 483 



tation entirely different from any thing that meets the eye in 

 any other part of the globe. Tliat pest, the scaly bug, was 

 not absent; and, although I must observe, that I have seen 

 other conservatories at least as clean as these, yet there was 

 nothing in them that would strike the attention of any one 

 as bordering on neglect, unless his eye, like mine, had been 

 made curiously critical by constant attention to the subject. 

 I cannot leave these gardens, however, without noticing the 

 beauty of many of the new fuchsias, particularly of the light- 

 colored or white ones; the best among them were: — One in 

 Ring, Napoleon, Acantha, Beauty Supreme. I do not know 

 whether these are yet in this country. 



A new seedling Phlox Drummotidii, called var. Leopoldii, 

 was also very striking ; it was of the finest color, with a clear 

 and distinct white star in the centre of each flower. 



The only other garden, near London, I had time to visit, 

 was the Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park. The collection 

 of animals is numerous, — they are kept clean, — that of the 

 birds, in particular, is of the greatest beauty, and in excel- 

 lent feather. The chief attraction, however, to me, was the 

 new reptile-house. I was perfectly amazed at the enormous 

 size of the living and active pythons and boas, only divided 

 from you by immense sized panes of plate glass, against 

 which they were constantly striking their forked tongues, 

 while their bright eyes seemed to invite you to make a por- 

 tion of their repast; the curious motion of their skeleton 

 frames was distinctly visible as they glided up and down the 

 trunks of trees, placed in their compartments for that pur- 

 pose. In this collection were also numerous and beautiful 

 lizards, as well as many of the singular and beautiful tree- 

 frog ; it squats constantly on the trees, and on its back is a 

 large patch of a most vivid-green color. Having business at 

 Birmingham, I fortunately happened to arrive the day of the 

 fruit and flower show at the Botanic Garden, at Edgbaston, 

 about one and a half miles from the town. 



It is impossible to praise too much the beauty and neatness 

 of the general plantations of the garden : the trees in the pine- 

 tum had been planted with so much judgment, and so care- 

 fully tended, that, although many were younger, their forms 

 and outlines were more striking and more agreeable to the 



