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MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 



Art. I. Foreign Notices. 

 FRANCE. 



Paris, Feb. 3. 1834. —The prefect of the Seine has kindly permitted the 

 Horticultural Society of Paris to have a part of the Town Hall, for a winter 

 exhibition of flowers and fruit ; and accordingly one is to be held on the 27th 

 of the present month, which will last till the 2d of March. It is expected that 

 this show will be very brilliant. The weather has been uncommonly mild 

 here : georginas, nasturtiums, mignonette, and many other summer and autumnal 

 flowers were in full beauty in November ; and the eccremocarpus [Calampelis 

 scabra], and the lophospermum [L. erubescens] remained in blossom during 

 December. Towards the end of the month, the crocuses, violets, Christmas 

 rose, winter aconite [Eranthis hyemalis], snowdrops, and many other early 

 flowers, came into bloom ; and in January the almond trees, hyacinths, and 

 tulips began to open their flowers. Altogether, the season has been a most 

 extraordinary one; and, even in December, when sitting under the warm 

 circular wall in the Gardens of the Tuileries, and looking down the garden, it 

 was scarcely possible not to fancy ourselves in spring. 



Our horticulturists have been busy lately trying experiments on the culture 

 of the potato ; the English root, as it was called only a few years ago pretty 

 generally throughout France, and which the gourmands of the French pro- 

 vinces are only now beginning to consider fit for any thing but for feeding pigs. 

 The Parisians know better ; and so many potatoes are eaten in Paris, that, some 

 years ago a market was established expressly for this root ; and this market 

 is now one of the largest, if not the very largest, of the vegetable markets in 

 Paris. Apropos of culinary vegetables, M. Vilmorin has just introduced a new 

 kind of spinach, with leaves as large as those of a lettuce [our Flanders 

 spinach, we presume]. This variety, which was originated near Lille, is very 

 warmly recommended. 



It has been discovered that the name Beurre ranee, given to one of the 

 Flemish pears, is quite a mistake. The discovery has occasioned a good deal 

 of laughter among the horticulturists of Paris ; and, thinking it may amuse you, 

 I will tell you all the story. It appears that the pear was originally brought 

 from the commune de Rans, in Hainault, and there is no doubt but the name 

 ought to be Beurre de Rans ; instead of which, it is called ranee, a word 

 which signifies rancid or rank-tasted, like stale butter, and which, of course, 

 becomes ridiculous when applied to a pear. 



I was very glad to see, in the Bon Jardinier for 1834 [seep. 155.], a cut and 

 description of the marked tallies given in your Hortns Britannicus. I think 

 this mode of marking tallies excellent, and well deserving of imitation in 

 France, though, for my own part, as I am very stupid at either learning or 

 remembering any thing new. I like your Roman method [VIII. 32.] much 

 better ; on the same principle that I prefer plain writing to short-hand ; though 

 the comparison is not quite correct, as short-hand has the advantage of taking 

 up less time ; while one would be as long in making the hieroglyphics as the 

 plain figures ; nay, perhaps longer, as the hieroglyphics would require us to 

 think and recollect, and be particular in the shape and position of the lines and 

 dots, &c, which the others do not. — P. 



GERMANY. 



Munich, July, 1833. — I know not whether, during your stay here, you 

 observed the great meadow before the town, where what is called the October 



