476 Domestic Notices : — England. 



to this rising institution." {Australian.} This remark of our contemporary 

 displays great want of judgment : it may be the forerunner of party discord. 

 Mr. M'Lcay is not at all' to blame. To the support of benevolent and religious 

 institutions, Mr. M'Leay is not backward ; and his rank, when he is applied 

 to, would require his being placed at the head. We think that if Mr. M'Leay 

 were applied to as a patron of this association, together with the late Chief 

 Justice, who is a horticulturist, and also Sir John Jamison, as another hor- 

 ticulturist, so far as being the first who formed a terraced vineyard in the 

 colony, it would be well ; for we presume the governor would not feel any 

 disrespect in having such gentlemen associated with him as patrons. But the 

 Floral Society has originated in, and is at present conducted by (and we 

 hope will continue to be conducted by) the second and third classes of our 

 society. Let our magistrates give their laudable countenance, but let 

 them not accept office in the Society, and thereby extinguish those 

 humbler lights of the colony in their aristocratical blaze, who at present 

 manage the Society with credit to themselves and satisfaction to the public. 



The show of grapes was beautiful. The vintage grape was particularly 

 splendid. In coming to their decision on the qualities of the grapes exhibited 

 for the silver cup, the judges were somewhat puzzled, inasmuch as one de- 

 scription of grape, the produce of Mr. Kenyon's orchard, was pronounced to 

 be the best in itself, but another lot (Mr. Lawson's) contained the best and 

 greatest variety. The secretary was referred to as to the wording of the re- 

 solution, when it was found, that the silver cup was to be given for the best 

 sample of wine grapes, which being interpreted by the judges to signify the 

 best variety, the cup was awarded to Mr. Lawson. {Sydney Monitor, Feb. 15. 

 1839.) 



Art. III. Domestic Notices. 



ENGLAND. 



THE Horticultural Society's Exhibition in the Chiswich Garden on May 18. 

 June 15. and July 6., were equal, if not superior, to those of former years, 

 both as to the objects exhibited and the attendance. The show of plants 

 on June 15. was by some considered the best that had ever appeared in the 

 garden. Among the plants the Orchidaceae were most remarkable in each of 

 the three exhibitions, more especially those sent by Messrs. Rollisson, and by 

 Mr. Rucker. At the last show there was a plant beautifully in bloom of 

 Lisianthus Russelharezw, the finest plant sent home by Drummond, and one 

 rather difficult to grow well. (See Vol. XIV. p. 140.) At these exhibitions 

 there were several models of flower-gardens, formed of green moss to represent 

 turf, sand for gravel, and flowers stuck together in little masses, to represent 

 flower-beds filled with flowers. These models exhibited a considerable degree 

 of merit, and in many cases would be useful in giving an employer ideas before- 

 hand. The idea occurs, that it would be well to encourage the production of 

 models, not only of flower-gardens, but of kitchen-gardens, and of parks and 

 plantations, showing the massing and grouping of the trees ; but more especially 

 of rockwork, for nothing is more common in gardening, and nothing worse 

 done. To give prizes for plans and other drawings connected with gardening 

 would also be productive of good, as well as for models of new implements, 

 utensils, &c. Indeed, something of this kind is done by the Caledonian, the 

 Dumfries, the Stirling, and other societies in Scotland, and by some of the 

 provincial horticultural societies of England. 



A Society for promoting the Improvement of the Working Classes, by the esta- 

 blishment of Sunday evening lectures, on various scientific subjects popular- 

 ised, is now being established in London. At present, the working man has 

 no mode of passing his Sunday evenings, but in his own family, or in the pub- 

 lic house. In his own family, such is the lamentable condition of human 



