420 Notes made during a Professional Tour 



was not a single plant worth anything. I was much dis- 

 appointed with the place altogether, especially from its gay 

 appearance outside ; it having a fine stone parapet about 3 ft. 

 high, surmounted with rails 10 ft. high, I should think, and gilt 

 at the top. Something of this kind would better become a 

 palace than a botanic garden. 



As I had been but little satisfied with my morning's employ- 

 ment, I next directed my course to the chateau of M. Parthon 

 de Von, in hopes of being better gratified ; and I was not dis- 

 appointed. The chateau lies about three miles out of the town, 

 to the right of the Brussels road ; and it is surrounded by a 

 large ditch filled with water (a thing very common in this 

 country), over which you pass by means of a drawbridge. There 

 are three good plant-houses, and an orangery : one of the houses 

 is for stove plants, of which there is a good collection ; and they 

 are well cultivated. A plan of shading the stove plants is 

 adopted here, which I had never seen before : a sort of paint is 

 prepared, with which the glass is painted very lightly all over; 

 and I was informed that this thin coating gives an excellent 

 shade in summer, and does not in the least injure the plants 

 during winter. Whether this practice is beneficial or not, I 

 shall not pretend to say ; but I can safely assert that the plants 

 here look as well as any plants can well look at this season of the 

 year. The collection of Orchideae here is rather rich, and the 

 plants are well cultivated, although many of these are small; 

 owing, no doubt, to the liberal manner in which M. Parthon de 

 Von exchanges with his neighbours. He has a person now 

 in the Brazils expressly for procuring Orchideae ; from whom he 

 expects to receive considerable additions to his already interest- 

 ing collection. The green-house is small ; but it contains some 

 esteemed and rare plants. The collection of hardy herbaceous 

 plants is very extensive; although it made, at the present 

 season, but little show. The grounds of this residence suffered 

 much from the ravages of the French army, while encamped in 

 this quarter, during the siege of Antwerp. M. Parthon de 

 Von informed me that upwards of 1500 large trees had been 

 cut down in the neighbourhood, by the army, for firewood. The 

 roots of some of them have not yet been removed. 



Madame Smeldt has a beautiful place near Antwerp, which 

 contains several good houses for tropical plants, among which 

 are some fine specimens of palms, though not any of uncommon 

 species. The pine -apple is here cultivated to a considerable 

 extent, and not without success, although the fruit is, in point of 

 size, far inferior to that produced in England. 



The road from Antwerp to Brussels leads through a beauti- 

 ful agricultural country, abounding everywhere with fine large 

 woods. The soil seems excellent, approaching, in many places, 



