150 De7inis's Landscape-Gardener. 



MelastomdcecE. — One of the most natural families : the spe- 

 cies are for the most part tropical, and are chiefly found in the 

 southern parts of India. 



Vhiladelphece. — The genus Philadelphus has several species 

 which grow on the Himalayas, all of which, Mr. Royle observes, 

 " appear to be suited to the open air in English shrubberies." 



M.yrtdcecB. — This order is well known, from its European 

 representative, the common myrtle. It abounds in Australia 

 and New Zealand ; but is not common in the hilly regions of 

 India. 



" The iliyrtaceae are chiefly remarkable for secreting volatile oil, which 

 gives an aromatic fragrance to the leaves and other parts of many species, 

 rendering these useful as condiments ; they also secrete tannin ; hence the 

 employment of some as astringents : others yield edible fruit, as the guava and 

 the different kinds of rose-apple, which are, however, seldom unaccompanied 

 by a degree of aromatic principle, which renders them agreeable to some, but 

 disagreeable to others." 



We cannot too highly commend this work, or respect the 

 talent and industry of its enlightened and scientific author. 



Art. II. The Landscape- Gardener ; comprising the History and 

 Principles of Tasteful Horticulture. By J. Dennis, B.C.L., Pre- 

 bendary of the Collegiate Church of Exeter Castle, and Author of 

 ** The Key to the Regalia," " Architectura Sacra," &c. &c. 8vo. 

 London, 1835. 



This work, which has no pretensions to being scientific, may 

 be characterised as a series of unconnected, and sometimes irre- 

 levant, remarks, in a rambling and very peculiar style. Its chief 

 merits are, that it displays a great love of the subject on the part 

 of its author, and that it contains some descriptive notices of 

 country seats. The following extract will, we think, justify 

 what we have said, or it will, at all events, enable the reader to 

 judge for himself. It commences about the middle of the 

 volume (at p. 48.); and contains a recapitulation of what the 

 author considers the contents of the preceding pages, a speci- 

 men of the kind of remarks that are made on planting, and a 

 descriptive notice. 



" In the historical portion of this essay, [the] commencement of plantations 

 was ascribed to the expediency of preserves for game, consequent on [the] 

 destruction of forests ; and the succession of style in [the] formation of parks 

 was detailed. Horticulture was stated to have originated with the monastic 

 orders, yet not to have extended beyond esculent, bibulent, and sanative 

 objects of culture. Ornamental gardening was traced from the Roman quin- 

 cunx, through Dutch distortion of nature, and its subversion by Kent's inves- 

 tigation and defective transcript of Continental forests, on taste for pictoresque 

 scenery having been elicited through importation of paintings by Italian 

 masters, concurrently with the influence of poetic lucubrations. The peculiar 



