from June 28. to August 16. 1840. 391 



vegetables was 5c61ymus hispanicus, the roots of which we 

 had an opportunity of tasting at M. Vilmorin's table, and found 

 them equal to those of scorzonera. In the kitchen-garden there 

 is a very full collection of gooseberries, which was sent to M. 

 Vilmorin by the Horticultural Society in Mr. Sabine's time; and, 

 though no care had been taken to supply the plants with water, 

 yet the fruit was nearly as large as in England, probably 

 in part owing to the greater coldness of the present season. 

 Among the trees and shrubs we found several species of Ame- 

 rican oak growing with great vigour, more especially Quercus 

 alba, which is rare in France, and very seldom seen in a healthy 

 state in England. Q. Tauzin is also here in great vigour; and 

 Q. £'sculus, known as Q. apennhia, with various others. There 

 are a number of stools of Cratse'gus ^piifolia, raised from 

 seeds received from Washington, some plants of C. cordata, 

 with other American species. We tasted an excellent late 

 cherry called Napoleon, which does not appear to have been 

 introduced into England; and M. Vilmorin directed our attention 

 to another wild cherry with pendulous branches, the fruit ripen- 

 ing late, and the tree an extraordinary bearer. In the shrub- 

 beries on the lawn are two plants, 10 or 12 feet high, and of as 

 many years' growth, of ^^cer creticum; the one with scarcely any 

 leaves lobed, and the other with scarcely any leaves entire. In 

 the woods M. Vilmorin found tTlmus montana i., known here 

 as C/'lmus campestris lalifolia, with the soft wood of the young 

 shoots of a dark red, as already mentioned ; and, from seedlings 

 of Robin/« glutinosa, he found the common R. Pseud-^cacia 

 with shoots not glutinous. These facts only deserve notice, 

 because it has been hitherto customary to give herbaceous plants 

 only the credit of coming true from seed. Our belief is, that 

 R. glutinosa is only a variety of R. Pseud-v4cacia ; and, there- 

 fore, we are not surprised that seedlings raised from it should 

 occasionally I'evert to the original species. It is not, however, 

 the less desirable tree for being a variety ; and, in short, we 

 believe it will be found that all the hardy plants best worth cul- 

 ture, for use or ornament, ligneous or herbaceous, will be found 

 to be more or less deviations from the wild species; and almost 

 all the handsomest very distinct varieties to be cross-breds, and 

 even hybrids. 



Belleville. — The village of this name is situated on some of 

 the highest ground in the neighbourhood of Paris ; and, being 

 the resort of the working classes on Sundays and other holidays, 

 it is covered with small country houses and guinguettes, or what 

 in England would be called tea-gardens. The common lilac is 

 here cultivated on a large scale for the sake of the flowers, which 

 are gathered and sent to the flower-market. We visited the 

 villa of M. Audot, the publisher of the Bon Jardinier^ and him- 



