GHENT. 47 



found the interior of this beautiful Gothic church already 

 crowded ; and we had not remained long till the bulk of 

 the people became prostrate, even the files of soldiers 

 kneeling while they presented arms ; drums were beating, 

 trumpets sounding ; priests gorgeously clothed, were march- 

 ing and chanting, while little boys were swinging their cen- 

 sers and sending perfume all around ; — the host was now 

 elevating ! While Mr Macdonald and I were wondering at 

 this grand ceremony, we suddenly missed Mr Hay ; and 

 on rejoining him without, we found him not a little scanda- 

 lized at the whole scene, which was certainly a striking 

 contrast to " plain presbytery ," and to our simple Scottish 

 forms. — We now, therefore, made our way to the garden 

 of M. Smedt in the suburbs. 



Smedfs Garden. 

 This is a pretty extensive market-garden, and it seems 

 to be under judicious management. At the entrance, a 

 hedge of dogwood, of the green variety, (Cornus sangui- 

 nea var.) was rather a novelty. Several large beds were 

 occupied with silver-skinned onions, which appeared very 

 clean and healthy, and likely to swell to a considerable 

 size. The plants were nowise crowded ; but we under- 

 stood that they had been thinned, by drawing the young 

 onions for the market. We here saw a quarter planted 

 with the true dwarfish globe-artichoke (Cynara Scolymus 

 var.). which is a distinct variety from the French arti- 

 choke, the kind commonly cultivated with us. The red 

 beet of this garden appeared to be of the most genuine 

 quality, and was indeed the finest any of us remembered 

 to have seen. Several large beds of Endive, for successive 

 crops, were very excellent ; in no case did we observe that 

 it had ran> or shown an inclination to throw up a flower- 



