ROYAL WATER-LILY. 55 



1849, at Chatsworth, the seat of the Duke of Devon- 

 shire, long celebrated as one of the first horticultural 

 establishments of Europe, and of peculiar interest to 

 the botanist and the scientific gardener, from the 

 magnificent display of rare exotic plants which it at 

 all times contains. Mr Paxton, chief gardener to 

 his Grace, being anxious to afford the Victoria 

 every accommodation, and, if possible, to bring it 

 into a flowering condition, immediately prepared a 

 tank, expressly for its reception, measuring twelve 

 feet square, wherein it was planted on the 10th of 

 August. Although the plant was of very limited di- 

 mensions when received from Kew, having only four 

 leaves, the largest of which measured only four 

 inches in diameter, yet it soon increased greatly in 

 size, and, by the latter end of September, nineteen 

 leaves were formed, the largest measuring three feet 

 six inches across, or about eleven feet in circumfe- 

 rence. The tank became so crowded of leaves, that 

 it was soon necessary to enlarge it to double its ori- 

 ginal size, to allow of the full development of the 

 plant; and it was not long before even that was found 

 insufficient for the extent of its gigantic foliage. Al- 

 though there were only thirteen leaves, yet the di- 

 mensions of each measured from four to four feet six 

 inches across, or from sixteen to eighteen feet round. 

 It was observed, that although the plant was thriving 

 vigorously, yet the leaves, which had always been de- 

 scribed by observers of the Lily in her native waters 



