Foreign Votlccs : — Belgium, Germany. 83 



ment selling in opposition to him. At Brussels, the range of houses is superb 

 in point of architecture ; but, from want of funds, the garden is, in many- 

 respects, much inferior to the establishment of a commercial gardener. At 

 Ghent the collection is better, having still many rare plants, which Sieboldt 

 sent over; but neither the funds allowed are sufficient to carry on the esta- 

 blishment with tc/af, nor is the situation such as to enable the director to 

 cultivate plants of any rarity in the open ground ; the establishment being 

 placed in the centre of the town, and so low that, in winter, it more resembles 

 a badly drained marsh than a botanic garden. Ghent, nevertheless, is, at this 

 moment, very prosperous in the gardening way ; and is daily receiving new 

 plants from England, and distributing them to all parts of Europe. New 

 liouses are erecting every where; and, though there are, at least, one hundred 

 commercial gardeners within the walls, yet new ones are continually setting 

 up in business. So much are flowers esteemed, that this autumn considerable 

 robberies of plants have taken place; and, in one instance, by a confidential 

 workman, to a large amount. I am sorry to add that the receivers of many 

 of the stolen plants rank amongst the gentry of the place, who were not 

 ashamed to pay an inferior price for them to a workman, though they must 

 have known that the said workman had no right to sell his master's plants. 

 As every one here has a great taste for flowers, plants are as good as money ; 

 and, I am sorry to say, there are persons who do not hesitate to corrupt the 

 uneducated workmen, by giving them a slight recompence on condition that 

 they provide them with plants. I believe I could trust the greatest thief in 

 Belgium to walk in my garden, and a flower would not be touched, or the 

 least mischief done to my plants; but, once his back turned, and out of the 

 garden, he woukl to a certainty try to corrupt my gardener, or plan a way to 

 enter it during the night. During the time I have lived in this country, I have 

 never known a flower to be taken by any visitor who has paid my garden a 

 visit; and, during the dahlia and geranium seasons, I have many hundreds, of 

 a// kinds of people, who request to see my collections ; and, though it is im- 

 possible for me or my gardeners to attend to every one, yet not even a leaf 

 has been taken without permission, nor the least mischief done. Whatever 

 thefts are committed are generally done by your confidential workmen, who» 

 knowing the value of plants, cannot resist the temptation. They are without 

 education ; and even those who have a smattering of learning are often the 

 worst. Tliey are not readers, but spend all their evenings in the cabarets, 

 where tliey are sure to meet with too many temptations to be resisted ; and 

 many, moreover, think that, so long as they do not steal money, the}' may 

 make free with their master's goods as much as they think fit. 



It will require many years before a reform can be managed here, in respect 

 to rendering the working gardener honest. Three things absolutely are 

 wanting at present ; viz. higher wages, education, and morality. The last, in 

 my opinion, is the most wanted, and the most difficult to be attained. The 

 two first will come in time. — John AInddeson. Ghent, Dec. 1836. 



New Plants. — A considerable number of new plants have been brought 

 home from Japan by Dr. Von Sieboldt, and deposited in the Botanic Garden 

 of Ghent, whence some of them have alread}' found their way to British 

 gardens. Among these are, a beautiful new clematis, described and figured in 

 a former page; and £pimedium macranthum, to be hereafter noticed. The 

 total number of species brought to Europe alive, by Dr. Von Sieboldt, is said 

 to be IGO. Dr. Lindley observes that " this is by far the most considerable 

 importation from Japan that has yet been made ; and its results have been so 

 satisfactory, as to lead us to hope that the Dutch may be the means of bringing 

 us acquainted with a larger portion of the beautiful plants of that most singular 

 country." {Bot. Reg., Nov. 1836.) 



GERMANY. 



A Flora Excnrsoria Exotica Gcrmanica is, I understand, about to be under- 

 taken by one of the Berlin professors. It is to be a catalogue of all the foreign 



G 2 



