Sheffield Botanical Garden. 88 



making many inquiries as to the best route, not then having 

 a guide-book with us, we could not learn of any other than 

 that by rail-road ; and as the hour of starting was near at 

 hand we at once took our seat in the cars ; we were soon 

 whirled along the road, passing through immense tunnels, and 

 through the manufacturing towns of Rochedale, Hudders- 

 field, Wakefield, &c., arriving at Sheffield about 4 o'clock. 

 We subsequently ascertained that the best route is by rail- 

 road to Glossop, and thence by coach to Sheffield, the coun- 

 try between the two latter places being highly cultivated, and 

 varied by hill and dale, 



Sheffield occupies an elevated situation, but gradually des- 

 cends on all sides to a valley, and the neighboring country 

 forms a circle of high and undulating ground, seen from 

 almost every part of the town. The streets are paved with 

 cubes of stone, and as the rapid descent is favorable to the 

 wash of all heavy rains, they are perhaps cleaner than those 

 of any other town of the same extent. Its manufactories, 

 like those of Manchester, discharge volumes of smoke, but 

 its more elevated situation admits of a freer circulation, and 

 it does not prove so prejudicial to vegetation as around Man- 

 chester. Our visit here was confined to the 



Sheffield Botanical Garden. — This garden was commenced 

 in 1835, and was laid out and completed by Mr. Marnock, 

 at that time curator. It is now under the charge of Mr. Wil- 

 kinson, for whose attentions to us, we feel deeply indebted. 



The grounds contain about seventeen acres ; they are situ- 

 ated just at the outskirts of the town, and are undulating, 

 and slope gently to the south, commanding a fine view of the 

 valley in front and the highly cultivated and beautiful coun- 

 try, studded with villas, beyond. The importance of situation 

 was forcibly impressed upon us, as we compared it with the 

 low and level spot occupied by the Liverpool Botanical Gar- 

 den. The entrance is through a handsome Grecian gate and 

 Lodge. A broad gravel walk to the right, leads to the range 

 of houses for the plants, which is about three hundred feet 

 long, and is divided into five compartments. The two ends 

 which have circular fronts, and are very high, are for plants 

 requiring scarcely any heat ; the next two are narrower and 

 less lofty and are filled with green-house plants; the centre 



