PARIS. 389 



form a prominent object in the arrangement of the So- 

 ciety's garden, when it comes to be established. 



We now gave our attention to the central compart- 

 ments, beginning with the oblong square basin, and re- 

 turning back towards the Seine gate. The pond con- 

 tains many rare aquatics ; and the four sloping banks, 

 which lie exactly to the four cardinal points, are appro- 

 priated to a collection of such shrubs as are sufficiently 

 hardy to endure the climate of Paris. The Acacia juli- 

 brissin or silk-tree was still in flower. This flowering spe- 

 cimen is now fifteen years old : at first it received protec- 

 tion during winter, but for several years past it has had 

 none. An excellent specimen of crested- leaved beech (Fa- 

 gus sylvatica, var. cristata), a rare variety, may be men- 

 tioned, Spartium Scorpius seems here to succeed in the 

 open air ; and Virgilia lutea evidently stands the winters 

 pretty well. The rapid growth of some species of Acacia 

 in this climate attracted our particular notice. This year's 

 shoots of a plant marked Robinia spectabilis (R. pseud- 

 acacia, var. <*, of Link, Berl. Gard.), we found to be very 

 nearly twelve feet in length, and to be still in a growing 

 state ; at the same time, each pinnated leaf was about a foot 

 and a half long. The varin, regarded as a hybrid production 

 between the common and the Persian lilac, is here a common 

 shrub : by some curious chance (perhaps from a corruption 

 of the French name varin), this variety has acquired in Scot- 

 land the name of Siberian Lilac. Croton sebiferus forms a 

 handsome shrub, and Pistachia Terebinthus a tree of con- 

 siderable size. Arnyris dentata from Chili likewise appears 

 as a tree, about fourteen feet high ; but it requires protec- 

 tion during winter. There are several specimens of Pyrus 

 salicifolia Lin. which is not a common plant in Scotland. 



The next divisions are solely dedicated to Flora, and to 

 Flora as admired by the crowd. All the most showy flow- 



