Jb'oreign Notices. — Germany. 491 



From Epinal we have sent home some straw hats, the forms of which we 

 intend to recommend to lady gardeners and others in England, as affording 

 superior protection both from the sun and rain. The city of Nancy con- 

 tains squares and streets of palaces scarcely inhabited, the population and 

 prosperity of the place having been gradually declining for the last thirty 

 years. In the centre of the town the streets are becoming covered with 

 grass, and the outskirts exhibit scenes of filth of which no person who has 

 never been out of England can form any idea. The actual state of things 

 at Nancy may be cited as an example of the result of a forced or accidental 

 prosperity, in consequence of a rich individual taking up his residence there, 

 as distinguished from that gradual, but effectual and permanent, amelioration, 

 which is only to be produced by enlightening the great mass of the popu- 

 lation, so as to enable them to attain wealth and prosperity by their own 

 labour. Had Stanislaus spent only a few hundreds in building public 

 w — r el — ts and establishing common schools, he would have raised the 

 character of the people of Nancy, instead of merely ornamenting their 

 town. In his day, however, what were called the great had not been taught 

 to study the amelioration of the lower classes ; and, as the character of a 

 man must always be estimated by the times in which he lives, it was enough 

 for Stanislaus to have ranked high in the exercise of the virtues of his 

 time, which, as it ought, has procured respect for his name. 



The botanic garden at Strasburg contains upwards of 4000 speciSs, among 

 which are some fine old specimens of hardy trees, and some large Austra- 

 lasian plants, presented by the Empress Josephine, from the garden of Mal- 

 maison. The male plant of SalisbCu7« adiantifolia flowers here every year, 

 and bejide it has lately been planted a female plant received from Professor 

 Decandolle of Geneva. The princii:)al nurseryman here is M. Hodel, whose 

 son is a very remarkable young man. He has worked, as a gardener, in 

 Holland, P'rance, and England, and writes and speaks the languages of these 

 countries, as well as of Germany. He has botanical correspondents in every 

 part of Europe and in America, and has personally, and through them, col- 

 lected a very extensive herbarium. It is arranged according to the Jussieuean 

 system, and is rich in Orchldeas and ferns. The orders are put together in 

 boxes according to their initial letters, as good a plan for a herbarium as any 

 we have yet seen. In our journal we shall have more to state of M. Hodel, 

 the excellent director of the botanic garden here, and of other nurserymen^ 

 &c. — Cond. 



GERMANY. 



Munich^ Oct. 30. — We left Sti-asburg on the 20th, and, after ascending 

 for six days, along a winding avenue of fruit trees, upwards of 250 miles 

 in length (Munich being, in altitude, the second city in Europe), arrived 

 here on the 26th. The greater number of these trees are ungrafted cher- 

 ries, which succeed in the poorest soil, and in the most elevated and cold 

 situations, better than any other fruit tree; their thnber is valued by the 

 cabinet-maker, and from their fruit is distilled kirschwasser (p. 179.), an 

 article in great demand. The kind of fruit tree next in number in this 

 avenue is the apple, grafted ; its fruit is used for making cider ; and it is also 

 cut into slices and dried, for putting into soups in winter. The remaining 

 sorts are the walnut, pear, and plum. In the neighbourhood of the towns, 

 these avenues have been planted a good many years; but inmany places 

 where the situation is elevated and the soil poor, it is only v/ithin the last 

 three or four years that the practice of planting cherry trees has been 

 adopted. 



The first day's journey was through a flat rich country, chiefly under 

 pasture, and extending from Strasburg to the valley of Kentzig. The 

 second day, we passed through this valley, which is highly beautiful and 



