Hetrospedive Criticism. 495 



recognise it, in every particular, as my own production, but I also consider 

 myself to be its nghtful respondent. And I wish farther to state, that I 

 never ivas a party in such a matter as the above, and in the manner hinted 

 at by H. Laundy, with any man, nor will I ever be, whether such man be 

 prince or whether he be peasant As for that part of the sentence which says, 

 " Mr. Smith being a man not professing any knowledge of plants," I de- 

 clare that it is void of the least particle of truth. If he had declared me to 

 be a man not professing to possess a good systematical knowledge of bo- 

 tany, he would have stated the truth ; but his statement that I do not 

 profess any knowledge of plants I positively deny. Believing that these 

 lists (when considerately introduced) lead to enquiry concerning the plants 

 which are enumerated in them, and that such enquiry produces the desire 

 of having the plants in possession, I hope that, by whomsoever they may 

 be composed or authenticated, they may be frequently inserted in " your 

 valuable pages," that, being thereby extensively circulated, they may become 

 subjects possessing great " public usefulness." I am. Sir, " your con- 

 stant " and one of your earliest subscribers, — John Smith. Whitton Road, 

 Ipswich, June 18. 1833. 



The Seeds of Vinus sent (Vol. VI. p. 212.) by M. Hartweg as Seeds of 

 the Ptnus rcsinosa Alton tuere oiot Seeds of this Species, but Seeds of the 

 Vinus caramdnica of Bosc. — Sir, On the subject of pine trees, I shall 

 point out to you what I think an error in the opinion of M. Hartweg of 

 Carlsruhe, as expressed in an extract from a letter from him, which has 

 been inserted in Vol. VI. p. 212. He informs you that the Pinus resinosa 

 of Alton, or Pinus rubra of Michaux, exists in a certain quantity in the 

 Hartwald in Leimerslachle ; and he mentions some dried seed of it, which 

 you have received and distributed. Greatly interested in this article, I 

 wrote to M. Hartweg to ask him to send me a branch with cones of this 

 species, which he had the kindness to do : but this specimen, instead of 

 belonging to Pinus resinosa, evidently appeared to me a European and 

 Asiatic pine, still but little known (approaching very near to Laricio de 

 Corse, P. Laricio or altissima), and which Bosc has named Pinus carama- 

 nica. This pine is not generally admitted by botanists as a species ; the 

 greater number make it only a variety of P. Laricio, in which, I think, 

 they are botanically correct : but this variety is, howevei*, quite distinct by 

 its vegetation, and probably by its qualities. Henceforward, it ought to 

 be distinguished from the species by foresters. On the whole, M. Hart- 

 weg has probably made you a more valuable present than if he had sent 

 you the true P. resinosa ; but his notice, as to historical information, is 

 erroneous ; and, in order that the trees produced from this seed may not 

 be established in England under a false name, it will be advisable for you 

 to warn your friends, to whom you have distributed the seeds, that the 

 plants produced from them are not the true P. resinosa, but P. cara- 

 manica. 



I shall take this opportunity of speaking to you again of our P. Laricio, 

 the giant, and probably the finest, of the pines of Europe; the multipli- 

 cation of which you ought to insist on in England, where it is still, I 

 believe, very rare. It is quite hardy, succeeds as well by sowing on the 

 spot as the Scotch pine (P. sylvestris), and may be regarded as one of the 

 most precious forest species. We multiply it very much now in France j 

 and I have myself sown, on my property of Barres, more than 12 arpens 

 (about 15 acres English). I am. Sir, yours, &c. — M. Vilmorin. Paris, 

 May 21. 1833. 



What Plant is fitter for Hedges than the Hawthorn ? asks Mr. Cheeks. 

 (Vol. VIII. p. 738.) I think with J. D. (p. 738.) that it would be not 

 easy to find one better adapted for the purpose. By the by, I heard, 

 some time back, in London, of 



