92 Retrospective Criticism. 



p. 532.] I named to you that one of the scarcest plants ever found in this country 

 was found in one of my meadows at Boyton, viz. C'yperus longus. Mr. Peat 

 had not been but a very few hours with me at Boyton when he made the 

 discovery. Strange to say, I never noticed it till then, although the meadow 

 is within 500 yards of the house, in a piece of three quarters of an acre, 

 divided from east to west by a small water ditch. On the south side of the 

 meadow there is not a root to be seen, but on the side which is sloping and 

 facing the south, behind which there is an artificial water course filled two or 

 three times a year for the watering of the meadows, it grows in great abundance. 

 Tiie fyperus longus grows in great abundance there. If you look into 

 Withering's British Botany, p. 911., you will see how few habitats there are, 

 and those doubtful. — A. B. Lambert. Dec. 14. 1840. 



The following are the dimensions of the cereus referred to by Mr. Lambert, 

 as given to that gentleman by His Grace the Duke of Northumberland : 

 height 22 ft., circumference at the bottom 3 ft. 3 in., circumference in the 

 middle 2 ft., circumference at the top 1 ft. 4 in. — N. Syon, July 2. 1840. 



Cnicus tuberosus Willd. was discovered by Mr. Lambert in one of his woods, 

 growing plentifully in one spot only, to wit, in the wood called Great Ridge, 

 between Boyton Wood and South Hill, Wilts. (Withering's Botany, p. 911.) 

 The Boyton habitat of C'yperu^ longus is, we believe, now published for the 

 first time. — Cond. 



Art. IV. Retrospective Criticism. 



Erratum. — Page 47,, line 19. from the top, for "branches" read "bunches." 

 Cliatsiuortli Conservatory. — In the last Number of the Gardener's Magazine 

 (p. 41.), a correspondent, under the initials H. B., in speaking of the great 

 conservatory here, says, " It seems very ill built, and of very inferior ma- 

 terials both wood and glass." Now, this is not the fact, and the individual in 

 question cannot possibly be a practical man, for both the material and work- 

 manship are universally allowed to be of the very best description, and they 

 have not been equalled in any building of the kind, either large or small. No 

 expense has been spared in procuring the best materials and the best workmen 

 from every part of the country ; therefore H. B. has unwisely suffered himself 

 to remark on a subject which, it is evident to those conversant with the prin- 

 ciples of construction, he did not understand. — John Robertson. Chatsworth, 

 Jan. 13. 1841. 



The Pleasure Grounds at Theobalds. — I am pleased to see among your 

 " Notes on Country Seats and Gardens," given in the Gard. Mag. for Nov. 

 1840, that of Theobalds, near Cheshunt. Several years since, I had some 

 thoughts of giving you a sketch of the above place for the Magazine ; but the 

 ornamental part of the grounds being only a narrow strip, I thought it would 

 scarcely have proved acceptable, and therefore declined it. I am led to 

 suppose that Mr. Scott, who was Mr. Wingfield's gardener, must have left the 

 place at the time you were there, as otherwise I think he would have told you 

 who laid out the grounds. [We went over them with a gentleman who is the 

 present occupier, G. H. Heppel, Esq.] When Mr. Wingfield took Theobalds, 

 the whole of the place, including the house, was in a most dilapidated state, 

 and he then kindly employed me to lay out the gardens, and to make such 

 alterations as I thought necessary, in order to give the place as much variety 

 as its limited space would admit of, in the accomplishment of which no ex- 

 pense was spared in bringing it to the state in which you saw it. However, 

 in thus claiming the outline as it regards the walks, clumps, &c., and also the 

 selection of shrubs for planting, I must not detract li-om Mr. Wingfield 

 the degree of merit due to him afterwards in carrying out more fully his 

 plans for embellishment, in which he succeeded admirably ; especially as it 

 regards planting the irregular line of hght trees and shrubs along the margin 

 of the walks in the front lawn, and planting, lopping, and pruning, both in 

 front and back of the house, in order to bring to view desirable objects, 



