ROSE. 193 



as if it gloried to breathe in the air of this 

 land of liberty, it soon surpassed in strength 

 and beauty all the inmates of the " gardens, 

 in which art supplies the fervour and the force 

 of Indian skies." 



We have no plant upon record, either of 

 utility or beauty, that has spread itself so 

 rapidly over the whole country as this rose 

 has done in our own age. It now climbs up 

 to look into the attic windows of the very 

 houses where we once saw it peep out of the 

 lower casement ; and it is not uncommon to 

 see its petals blush through a veil of snow in 

 the month of December ; a thing so unusual 

 formerly, that no longer back than the year 

 1800, Mrs. Mary Robinson wrote the follow- 

 ing verses on seeing a rose in flower at a 

 cottage door on Egham-hill, on the 25th of 

 October of that year. 



" Why dost thou linger still, sweet flower ? 

 Why yet remain, thy leaves to flaunt ? 

 This is for thee no fostering hour — 



The cold wind blows, 

 And many a chilling, ruthless shower, 

 Will now assail thee, beauteous rose !" 



Although it is acknowledged that few 

 plants contribute more agreeably to orna- 

 ment our shrubbery in the autumnal months 

 than this Chinese rose, yet we would not 



vol. 11. o 



