ANOMALIES. 271 



Thus, Japan is a temperate and in some places even 

 a cold country ; and some of the plants which have 

 been introduced into Britain from Japan stand the 

 winter not only better than the plants of southern 

 Europe, but better even than some of the native 

 plants which are found on the bleakest places. The 

 Aucuba Japonica, which makes the shrubbery so gay 

 with its large and handsome leaves mottled with 

 green and gold, actually bears the rigour of an Eng- 

 lish winter much better than a furze bush on the 

 common ; and of a variety of evergreens, many of 

 them reckoned of the most hardy kind, that were 

 exposed to a snow-storm in the winter of 1826, a 

 Camellia Japonica, was the only one that survived. 

 There is therefore very little doubt that by due care 

 the camellia might be made a common shrubbery 

 plant in all the warmer parts of the country, and 

 might flower there to greater perfection than it does 

 in the conservatory. The Dahlia never came to its 

 full beauty till it was cultivated and allowed to flower 

 in the open air. "When we recollect that the colours 

 of flowers, and indeed of all plants, are chiefly owing 

 to the light of the sun, and that the light never 

 comes through glass entire, unless when it falls on 

 the surface at right angles, which can only be for a 

 very little while of the day through the same piece 

 of glass, we may have at least some notion of the 

 fact that plants in a situation so contrary to their 

 natural habits must fall off. There are, indeed, not 

 a few of the vegetable productions of the tropical 

 countries which naturally inhabit places not very 

 unlike our hot-houses : they are surrounded by thick 

 trees, so that the wind does not blow upon them, 

 and when they get rain they get it in torrents. 



Another singular anomaly if it is to be supposed 

 that the characters of the vegetable tribes are to 

 follow the latitude, or even the latitude and ele- 

 vation is to be found in the Himalaya Mountains, 

 and their continuation to the west. At their lower 



