Retrospective Criticism. 373 



Plums are lost, as is the Black Perdrigon, and many others herein named. 

 Monsieur Tardif is the Prune Suisse ; Reine Claude, the Green Gage, &c.&c. 



OF Apples 1205 (and 400 more exist in the garden) are named here ; the 

 number seems to have alarmed the compiler, for he says, " from uncertainty 

 of the correctness of the names, and from other catises of doubt respecting 

 them, it has not been thought advisable to insert them in the present ca- 

 talogue." It would have been happy had these " doubts" prevailed more 

 frequently. Most of our cider apples are omitted, but a great many French 

 ones are inserted on the authority of M. Hervey, whose catalogue of the 

 Luxemburg collection seems to have been referred to throughout all this 

 catalogue, and which has been the cause of many errors in the synonyms. 

 Subsequent French writers, Calvel, Loiseleur, Noisette, &c, have corrected 

 these. 



It would take up too much of your useful publication to go over 

 the common list. " A considerable reduction of the names is to be 

 ^anticipated, whenever a general comparison of the varieties can be effected." 

 Surely it would have been better to have inserted only those sorts which 

 Slave been already proved, leaving the new sorts to be inserted from 

 time to time as they could be ascertained, and their goodness estimated ; 

 as the list now stands, no gentleman can make a proper selection wherewith 

 to furnish his garden, and the nurseryman finds it difficult to know what 

 sorts to recommend. 



Of Pears 622 are enumerated. Here again the same varieties occur under 

 different names, and the synonyms are very incorrect. Ambrette d'Ete, 

 Crapudine, Rude Epee are the same as the Grise Bonne; Archiduc d'Ete' 

 is the Ognonet, and not the Amire" Joannet ; Vermilion d'Ete is not 

 the Bellissime d'Automne ; Hampden's and Summer Bergamot are con- 

 sidered the same by the old writers. What is meant by the Common Ber- 

 gamot ? Why is Beurree spelt with two ee's? No French author writes it so. 

 Bonchretien Turc is not Bonchretienat all, and the name has been properly 

 altered to Turque by Loiseleur. Carlisle, according to Miller, is the same 

 as the Doyenne ; Donville, Poire de Provence, and Bequesne are three dis- 

 tinct pears. Doyenne" d'Hiver is the Bergamotte de la Pentecote. Under 

 E'pine d'Ete occur as synonyms Fondante, Musquee, separately, whereas 

 it is one sort. Giogil and Poire a Gobert are different pears; Monsieur 

 Jean Blanc and Jean Dore are the same pears. Now all these synonyms 

 might have been corrected, had attention been paid to Calvel, the Nouveau 

 Duhamel, or Noisette, and not to Mr. Hervey alone. 



Of Grapes 1 59 sorts. " Some reduction of names has been made, as v. ill be 

 seen in the following list, by referring supposed varieties to their synonyms." 

 The Alicant has for its synonyms Black Spanish and Teinturier : this is 

 so far correct, for the Teinturier is called by the French Alicante and 

 Noir d' Espagne,but it is so bad a grape, that in Burgundy, where it occurs 

 in their vineyards, they cannot even make luine of it, and it is solely used 

 for colouring their good wines, hence the name. The large Black Spanish, 

 Gros Noir d'Espagne, or Raisin d' Alicante, called also Ramonat, and 

 Negri er, is a much better grape, brought to the dessert, and is the grape 

 that produces port ivine. The true Alicant Grape which Miller had is a 

 red grape, and not, I believe, at present in this country, nor is it known in 

 France. The Black Cluster is not the Auvernat; the latter is the true 

 Black Burgundy, Maurillon or Pineau de Burgognc. Chassellas Musque is 

 the Le Cour grape of Miller. The Back Constantia is the same as the 

 Muscat Violet, cr Blue Erontjgnap. The true Black Hamburgh is the Ren- 

 raw, and should have its proper name ; it was brought over by Mr. Warner 

 at the same time with the other Hamburgh grape, and was cultivated also 

 by FurbCr, at Kensington, in 1724. The list of grapes is extremely imper- 

 fect, and seems to be the most carelessly drawn up in the whole catalogue. 



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