84 
Borneo, is the finest yet discovered. Mr. Burbidge informs us 
that he found the plant in large clumps, having stems 5 or 6 feet 
in height with very broad massive leaves and pitchers or urns 
capable of holding two or three pints of water. Besides this 
species there are some 25 or 30 others, of which Mastersiana, a 
hybrid variety, and Rafflesiana, from Singapore, are the hand- 
somest. The palm house contains 90 species of well-grown palms, 
some of which tower up to the roof, which is more than 60 feet 
high. There too are perhaps the finest specimens in cultivation 
in Britain of those noble trees—the Browneas grandiceps and 
coecinea from Venezuela and New Granada. The former was 
furnished with between 30 and 40 gorgeous flower heads of bright 
clear rosy pink colour, and borne in dense clusters at the 
extremities of the short young shoots: from the main stem, 
contrasted charmingly with the dark pinnate leaves of 3 feet in 
length. The Brownea coccinea, which flowers somewhat later, 
and of which I also saw specimens at Kew and at Chatsworth, 
produces dazzling vermilion tassels of bloom from out of the bark 
of the stem and branches, and which, before expansion, resembles 
small marbles, whilst the leaves in a young state are of a rich bronzy 
hue. Two other beautiful plants, rare in cultivation, attracted my 
attention—Jonesia asoca (Saraca) and Butea frondosa—which 
like the browneas first alluded to, the Poinciana regia or gold 
moha tree, the Amherstia, and many other of the more gorgeous 
flowering trees and shrubs of the tropics, belong to the order 
Leguminose or pod-bearing tribe. A curvilinear range of glass, 
called the New Holland house, is filled with our eucalypts, 
numbering some 70 or 80 species, numerous acacias, epdcrids, the 
araucarias, dammaras, callitris, and a host of Australian plants 
too numerous to mention. The vegetation of New Zealand is 
fairly represented in the open borders. The Phormium tenaz or 
“New Zealand flax,” veronicas, pittosporums, &c., do well with 
little shelter. I may say that, as a picturesque botanical garden, 
that of Glasnevin has few rivals, and the visitor to Ireland who 
omits seeing it will have missed a treat which few other places 
can offer all the year round. 
Having briefly described these various scientific institutions, it 
may be asked what British conservatories and operations connected 
therewith have to do with matters of the kind here, seeing that 
they are applied in most instances under very distinct climatic 
conditions. The conservatory system, so called, is almost as 
necessary here as in Britain, owing to the variable nature of our 
climate ; and, therefore, any garden worthy of the name should 
have the material aid of shelter and warmth thereby afforded. 
Visitors from the Antipodes are usually amazed at the plants 
to be seen luxuriating in the open air in these southern climes, 
and which in some continental and British gardens it is 
