SIN&LE FUCHSIA. 31 



in Europe, and he gave it to liis wife, and in the course of 

 time she sold it to Mr. Lee, the eminent nurseryman of 

 Hammersmith. It soon became famous, and as a garden 

 flower the fashion was thus, as we may say, created. And 

 it is worthy of observation that the kinds that were earliest 

 introduced were of such high quality that later discoveries 

 have not eclipsed them. Perhaps the greatest sensation 

 experienced by the floral world in connection with the 

 fuchsia occurred in the year 1847, when Messrs. Veitch 

 obtained their first flowering plants of Fuchsia spectabilis 

 from seeds sent home by Mr. William Lobb, who met with 

 it in the Andes of Cuen9a, Peru, growing at an elevation 

 of four to five thousand feet. But we dare not touch on 

 the floral history of the plant, for we should need years 

 for the study of it, and endless volumes for the text. 

 Nor have we space left for a disquisition on the beauty 

 of the fuchsia, and therefore have determined to follow a 

 good example. A lean cure dined with a fat bishop, who 

 first gave the cure a very poor vin ordinaire. But the 

 cure praised the miserable wine, and astonished the bishop, 

 who now determined to astonish the cure. So he brought 

 forth his wines' of rare vintage, and watched for the effect, 

 but the cure spoke not a word. " What/' said the bishop, 

 " you praise my meagre vin ordinaire, and you say nothing 

 of the wine now before you \" "Pardon, monsignor," 

 replied the cure ; " the wretched wine you first gave me 

 needed praising ; but this this speaks for itself." 



Ladies and gentlemen, as regards the elegance and 

 freshness of the fuchsia it is not needful to speak it speaks 

 for itself! 



In sheltered gardens in all the southern counties, and 

 in some places even north of the Trent, the beautiful 



