one hundred and fifty feet ; and although the elder-trees 

 have fixed their abode in some parts of the trunk, and 

 other parts are covered with ivy, yet it continues to give 

 shoots as vigorous as the youngest tree, and produces the 

 finest mulberries in England. It is a regular bearer ; and 

 the gardener assured him that he gathered more than 

 eighty quarts a week during the season. 



We have noticed in the History of Cultivated Vege- 

 tables that the City of London petitioned the Parliament 

 to prevent the use of hops in beer, and Newcastle coals 

 as fuel ; we are now going to prove that it was from the 

 ignorance of the City merchants in asking, and the weak- 

 ness of king James's ministers in granting, that England 

 does not at this time abound in mulberry-trees, and that 

 our unemployed cottagers are not profitably occupied at 

 the present moment in winding and weaving the silks of 

 our own country, instead of pressing so heavily on the 

 parochial purse as to endanger the prosperity of the agri- 

 culturist. 



" King James did," says Evelyn, " with extraordinary 

 care, recommend it (the planting of mulberry-trees) to 

 this nation by a book of directions, acts of council, and 

 all other princely assistance." 



In the year 1600, we find that by the special order 

 of that monarch, the first mulberry garden known in Eng- 

 land was planted at Charlton Park, near Blackheath, Kent, 

 by Mons. Vetron from Picardy, and Matthew Stellendge, 

 Esq. to whom a patent royal was granted to plant mul- 

 berry-trees in all parts of England. The .motive was a 

 hope that Britain, in a few years, might be able to keep 

 the silk markets with her neighbours ; and the scheme for 

 a while succeeded; and so sedulous were the King and his 

 whole royal family in feeding silkworms and preparing 

 thread, that the Queen had silk enough of her own wind- 

 ing to make many yards of taffeta, which being wrought 



