Foreign Notices : — North America. - 189 



flowers ; and on the architrave stood inscribed, in high relief, " The Bank." The 

 columns were covered with the petals of" crimson dahhas, and the whole was 

 one of the most beautiful fairy productions imaginable. On the opposite 

 side there was an imitation of a tree, 10 ft. high, by D. Maupay, covered with 

 upwards of 4000 flowers of dahlias. On the ends of the branches were 

 perched stuffed birds, of great beauty ; and on the top a dozen of the finest 

 plumage, apparently in the act of perching, which had a good effect. These ar- 

 tificial productions gave relief to the green shrubbery, and had a most pleasing 

 appearance. Over the door of the north, or banqueting, room was a star of 

 the first magnitude, by S. Reeve of New Jersey, and was composed of dahlias 

 and evergreens. Immediately within the room arose a triangular column 16 ft. 

 high, constructed by the same hand, covered with dahlia flowers. Through the 

 centre of this room ran a stage having three elevations of one foot each : on 

 the first two were displayed a splendid variety of the choicest fruits of the 

 season, tastefully arranged in glass dishes. The top was crowned with fine 

 grapes in pots. This stage was flanked by flowers, plants in pots, and 

 vegetables of the best kinds. Over the door at the north end was an 

 imitation of the American eagle, composed of various kinds of flowers to 

 suit the plumage ; the eye beautifully represented by a flower of the 

 Riidbeck/a hirta, strongly characteristic of the daring bird : the whole did 

 Mr. Sherwood, the maker, great credit. On entering the room, notwith- 

 standing the delicious fruits presented, the eye was suddenly arrested by two 

 enormous purai)kins, one raised by Mr. John Wetherill of Chalkley Hall, near 

 Frankford, measuring in girt 8 ft. 6 in., weighing 2.38 lb. ; the other by 

 Thornton Comfort of Byberr^', measuring in girt 7 ft., weighing 188 lb. : 

 they elicited great surprise. On one of the side tables was the i\^epenthes dis- 

 tillatoria, or pitcher plant, from the East Indies, and the first exhibited in this 

 country, being raised from seed by Mr. Buist. On the end of each leaf is a 

 pitcher with a lid, which is elevated and depressed by circumstances: it is 

 certainly one of the strange productions of nature, and excited much curiosity. 

 Many of the exotics in this room were rare and beautiful ; a very large Crinura 

 amabile in bloom, from the garden of George Pepper, Esq., was justly admired. 



The rooms, when viewed from any point, presented a beautiful perspective ; 

 and it must have been highly gratitymg to the committee of arrangement to 

 have heard encomiums every where passed on them by the immense numbers 

 who visited the hall, where the beaut}', wealth, and intelligence of Philadel- 

 phia were largely represented. Some only of the finest and rarest plants ex- 

 iiibited are here enumerated. 



Plants contributed b^ J. B. Smith, Christian Street. — Astrapse^a Wallich», A. 

 mollis, A. viscosa ; Ardisia littoralis, Adanson/ci digitata, Araucaria imbriciita ; 

 Anona tripetala, A. muricata, A. squamosa, A. paliistris ; Arcca montana, A. 

 oleracea, Acrocomia aculeata; Banksi« grandis, B. verticillata, B. mcoides, B. 

 pulchella, B. Cunninghams j Beaufortic/ decussata, Beaumont/a grandiflora, Bo- 

 napartea Juncea; Brexia serratifblia, B. integrifolia ; Cameraria latifolia, Ca- 

 rissa spinarum, C'aryuta urens, CatesbteV^ spinosa, Cedrela odorata, Cerber« 



Jatroplni multifida, Jatropha Curcas, J. Mdnihot; Lalania borbonica, Xau- 

 ....„ !</. 7, T „,.,„A„,„ ;„,';„.„;.. t ;.,:,.*A„;„ :*>.„:„. r •,.>..• .■,•■•>. 



Fothos crassinervia, Rhapis flabelliformis, Sabal Adanson/, Swieten/a Ma- 

 hdgoni, Tamarindus \v\i\\cA, Taxus nucifera; Thrinax parviflora, T, ele^ans • 

 Terminalia CV/Za/jyjr/, Xylophylla longifolia; Yucca fol. varieg., Zamia liorrida 

 Z. pi'ingcns, Z. integrifolia; /^olypodiuni aureum, Bixa Orellunn. 



Plants exhibited hij George Pepper. — Dracaj'na purpurea, D. tcrminalis • 

 Ziimia horrida, Bixa Orelluna, Eugenia australis, Musa sapientum, Zaurus 



