NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



497 



tioDS. Says a gentleman resident on the Atlantic 

 shore, who is eminently qualified to form an en- 

 lightened judgment: — "Much of the improvement 

 that has taken place in this country, during the 

 last twelve years, in Rural Architecture, and in 

 Ornamental Gardening and Planting, may be as- 

 cribed to him." Another gentleman, equally 

 well qualified to judge, speaking of suburban cot- 

 tages in the West, says : — I asked the origin of so 

 much taste, and was told it might principally be 

 traced to Downing's Cottage Residences and his 

 Horticulturist. " 



Of his remaining works, the "Horticulturist," 

 his monthly journal, which has entered its seventh 

 year, is extensively celehrated for its appropriate, 

 interesting and eloquent leaders — for its numer- 

 ous and able correspondents — for its varied learn- 

 ing and ripe experience — for its just and faithful 

 reviews — and for its tasteful embellishments and 

 rural decorations. 



His "Fruits and Fruit Trees of America," — a 

 volume of six hundred pages, was printed in 1844, 

 both in New York and London, and in two differ- 

 ent forms — the duodecimo with lineal drawings, 

 and the royal octavo, both with these drawings 

 and with colored engravings. It has passed 

 through thirteen editions, and originally combined 

 his personal observation and experience with those 

 of other American fruit growers down to that 

 date. 



Besides these productions of his pen, he edited, 

 with notes and emendations, "Mrs. Loudon's Gar- 

 dening for Ladies;" alsoj. "Lindley's Theory of 

 Horticulture ;" delivered various addresses; sub- 

 mitted reports to public bodies, and contributed 

 numerous articles to the secular, literary and sci- 

 entific journals of his day. 



In addition to these labors, he rendered efficient 

 services to the cause of agriculture and agricultu- 

 ral education. He constantly superintended his 

 homestead — was a corresponding or active mem- 

 ber in many horticultural and kindred associations 

 — was influential and prominent in the establish- 

 ment of this Congress, and from its origin, chair- 

 man of its fruit committee — the author of the 

 "Rules of Amercian Pomology," which, with some 

 modifications, have been extensively adopted. He 

 advised and aided in the laying out of grounds, in 

 the plans and specifications of various private and 

 public buildings, and at the time of his death, not 

 only had contracts for important professional ser- 

 vices in Newburg, Newport, Georgetown, Albany, 

 Boston, and other places, but was actually on his 

 way to Washington to prosecute the business in 

 which he had been engaged by the national gov- 

 ernment, for the laying out and adornment of the 

 public grounds in that city. He had also project- 

 ed several new volumes in the departments of his 

 peculiar studies and labors, as well as the revi- 

 sion of some of his present works. The last effort 

 of his pen was a postscript to a set of working 

 plans to illustrate a design for an observatory, pro- 

 posed to be erected in one of our principal cities. 



Alas ! that one so eminently useful, with such 

 brilliant prospects before him, and whose place it 

 is so difficult to fill, should be so suddenly removed ! 

 Such is the common exclamation ! But this gene- 

 ral sorrow may find consolation in his own devout 

 words, in a letter of condolence addressed to me a 

 few days before his death. They seem prophetic 

 of this hour. "God knows what is best for us." 



This dispensation is indeed mysterious ; a won- 

 der of Providence such as the All-wise and Infi- 

 nite rarely permits. He takes away one to whom 

 we are most attached, and that, too, when we can 

 least afford to spare him. But let us hope that 

 this melancholy event may awaken public atten- 

 tion, and direct it from the man to his pursuits, 

 and to their connection with the public welfare, 

 and thus become the occasion of raising up a host 

 to carry out and consummate his worthy enterprise. 



We have thus spoken of the last hours of our 

 lamented friend — of the dreadful catastrophe 

 which terminated his earthly career — of the cir- 

 cumstances and influences in which his character 

 was formed — of its most prominent and command- 

 ing features — of the great events of his public life 

 — of his published works — and of his plans of fu- 

 ture usefulness. 



As your humble servant, appointed to speak of 

 his "life, character and virtues," it is not proper 

 for me to indulge personal and private partiality. 

 It has been my endeavor to form such an enlight- 

 ened judgment of his worth, and such an unbi- 

 assed estimate of his numerous excellencies, as 

 shall be in harmony with your own opinion, and 

 shall command public confidence and respect. The 

 duty we perform is without any expectation of ad- 

 ding to the lustre of his fame. His works are his 

 best eulogy — the most enduring monuments of 

 his worth. 



But he has gone ! His seat in this Congress is 

 vacant ! Another will make the report which was 

 expected from him ! We shall much miss his 

 wise and leading counsels in our deliberations and 

 discussions, his prompt and energetic action in our 

 endeavors to advance the worthy objects of this 

 association, in the origin and progress of which 

 his agency was so conspicuous. He has gone ! 

 He is numbered with those patrons and promoters 

 of the ornamental and useful arts who rest from 

 their labors ; — with the erudite and sage Picker- 

 ing, the wise and laborious Buel, the ardent and 

 scientific Mease, the humorous and poetic Fessen- 

 clen, the practical and enterprising Lowell, the 

 tasteful and enthusiastic Dearborn, the indefatiga- 

 ble and versatile Skinner, the scientific and volumi- 

 nous Loudon, and others of noble design and en- 

 luring fame. These have fallen around us like 

 the leaves of autumn ; and Providence now calls 

 on us to inscribe on that star-spangled roll the 

 cherished name of Downing, struck down sudden- 

 ly when his sun was at the zenith of its glory. 



He rests in the bosom of his mother earth, in 

 the city of his birth, and the sepulchre of his 

 fathers, on the banks of that beautiful river where 

 his boyhood sport, and where the choicest scenery 

 "nspired his opening mind with the love of nature — 

 a spot which will be dear to the thousands of his 

 admirers, and which our love to him will constrain 

 us to visit. We may resort to his hospitable man- 

 sion, but he will no longer greet us with his cor- 

 dial salutation, nor extend to us the right hand of 

 fellowship. AVe may wend our way through his 

 beautiful grounds, but he will not be there to ac- 

 company us ; instead of his pleasant and instruc- 

 tive voice, which once dropped words of wisdom 

 and delight on our ear, we shall hear the trees 

 mournfully signing in the breeze — the cypress 

 moaning his funeral dirge, and the willow weeping 

 in responsive grief, "because he is not." "His 

 mortal has put on immortality." 



