70 HOllTICULTUKAL TOUK. 



wise would have been. We must conclude, either that the 

 prosperity of this city has greatly declined, or that the au- 

 thor viewed it with a partially favourable eye. 



Aug. 18. — We next day procured a voiturc to take us 

 to the village of Wetteren, about ten miles south-west from 

 Ghent, near to which are situated the villa of M. Hopso- 

 mere, and the baronial residence of Madame Vilain Qua- 

 torze, both of which, we had been assured by our intelli- 

 gent friends MM. Verbecq and De Wulf, were well deser- 

 ving of a visit. By the road-side, in one place, Pimpinella 

 magna appeared ; and in a copse-wood, some stinted spe- 

 cimens of Phyteuma spicata. 



Hopsomerds Villa. 



We first came to M. Hopsomere's. The house is sur- 

 rounded with a lawn, on which two fine Deciduous Cypres- 

 ses display their delicate foliage. Here, as at Meulemees- 

 ter's, we were much disappointed at the appearance of the 

 head gardener, which again indicated poverty and igno- 

 rance : he did not know the names of many of the plants 

 which he cultivates ; and when we wrote some of the Lin- 

 noean titles for him, he shook his head, and signified that 

 lie could not read them. From the lawn, a gate and bridge 

 lead to the grand shrubbery and pleasure-grounds, for, as 

 usual, water forms the boundaries of the place. Here the 

 first tiling that arrested our attention, was a large clump 

 of I, ili um Buperbum, now in full glory. When we men- 

 tion that there were at this time more than a thousand 

 plantl in flower, some idea of the brilliant effect of this bed 

 of lilies may perhaps be imagined. 



All of us feeling n predilection, as British horticulturists 

 generally do, for evergreen American shrubs, we were very 



