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KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



and it was truly a magnificent sight to behold a 

 great tree covered with one mass of flowers, and 

 to hear the deep distant hum of millions of insects 

 gathered together to enjoy the honeyed feast. But 

 all is out of reach of the curious and admiring 

 naturalist. It is only over the outside of the 

 great dome of verdure, exposed to the vertical 

 rays of the sun, that flowers are produced ; and 

 on many of these trees there is not a single 

 blossom to be found at a less height than a 

 hundred feet. The whole glory of these forests 

 could only be seen by sailing gently in a balloon 

 over the undulating flowery surface above ; such 

 a treat is perhaps reserved for the traveller of a 

 future age. — R. Wallace. 



A Woman well-dressed. — A womau well 

 and tastefully dressed, is a picture of loveliness 

 that we delight to gaze on. We are not often 

 gratified in this way ; for our women so ape the 

 manners of the sterner sex, that very little good 

 taste exists among them collectively. A few 

 days since, chance found us walking with a 

 sensible woman, well-dressed, — a fact worthy of 

 record. A beautiful silk mantilla was thrown 

 lightly over her fair shoulders ; and it pleased us 

 so very much, that we took the liberty (sanctioned 

 only by our being a public man) of inquiring the 

 name of it, — if indeed it had a name assigned it, 

 as most of these articles of vertu have. A little 

 harmless flattery on our part drew forth a con- 

 fession. Our companion was wearing an " Im- 

 perial Flora Mantilla," the last new fashion at the 

 Palace, and manufactured by Messrs. Nicholson 

 and Co., of Regent Street. There was a very 

 beautiful group of flowers on it, in velvet; 

 and the effect was purely chaste. Messrs. 

 Nicholson being near neighbors of ours, we have 

 since had a private peep at these mantillas, made 

 of every variety of color and pattern. The latter 

 are woven on the silk, — a very great advantage 

 in every point of view; and the cost compared 

 with their beauty is very inexpensive. — W. K. 



Commemorative Trees. — In England there yet 

 exist trees that point back to the manners of our 

 ancestors — such as the Gospel Oaks, under whose 

 shade our forefathers were accustomed to assemble 

 to hear sermons ; in the same manner as at a later 

 date our markets and other crosses were the sites 

 selected for religious instruction to the assembled 

 crowd. It was at Paul's Cross that one of the 

 brightest ornaments of our church had nearly lost 

 his life by the exposure to rain and wind, and 

 having recovered from his illness, in the gratitude 

 of his heart offered to do anything which his care- 

 ful nurse and landlady demanded of him, in return 

 for her unwearied attention. She said " marry 

 my daughter," and the divine obeyed the mandate. 

 This anecdote is merely introduced to show, at 

 how recent a date preaching in the open air was 

 common in England ; and as we may suppose that 

 in country places the practice of preaching under 

 trees might have continued long after it had been 

 discontinued in towns, there seems every proba- 

 bility that those venerable remains, joying in the 

 distinction of Gospel Oaks, and in the lusty vigor 

 of their manhood so to speak, were the identical 

 trees selected; thus traditionally confirming a 

 curious phase of our history. Heme's Oak, that 



thousands as well as myself have made a pil- 

 grimage to see, as is well-known, is not the 

 veritable one (it is a pity to know it) ; but the one 

 that was unrooted in George III.'s time in all 

 probability was that tree of some ghostly legend 

 in the time of our Shakspeare, and which, owing 

 to the merry wives' conceit, had preserved its 

 identity almost to our own times. Nor can we 

 forget the Mulberry planted by the bard's own 

 hands ; and it takes a vast effort to forgive its 

 ruthless destroyer. How much pure gratification 

 has he deprived not Englishmen alone of, but the 

 cultivated and refined of all nations ! The cir- 

 cumstances alluded to are of national interest ; 

 but how many thousand commemorative trees 

 exist that are of family notoriety only ? and to 

 such most deeply interesting. A knoll upon an 

 estate, where I have recently been employed, is 

 called " Bunker's Hill;" and upon comparing the 

 age of the Elm trees, with the date of the engage- 

 ment, I find a very near approach to years and 

 annual layers of woody accumulation. 1 will give 

 one more instance of a family nature that I was 

 connected with. A friend of mine had been 

 married to his wife fifty years ; there was a gather- 

 ing of sons and daughters and grandchildren, and 

 each one assisted to plant an Oak in such a man- 

 ner that the whole should ultimately form a strik- 

 ing group in after years. Each of these trees were 

 known to persons on the estate by the names of 

 the persons who assisted to plant them. It has 

 occurred to me, that persons having gardens 

 might make them of deeper interest by the power 

 of association. By way of illustration, I will 

 relate what has occurred to myself. Some years 

 ago, I was conversing with the late Sir William 

 Garrow upon the delight I felt in possessing any 

 plant that was mentioned by Virgil ; he said he 

 could add to my collection by giving me a plant 

 of Bay that was taken from his tomb. I possess 

 the plant yet, and it slightly differs from that in 

 common cultivation. Napoleon Willows will be- 

 come a fashion again, if the President maintains 

 his friendly position with England; for everything 

 relating to his uncle is with a large party in 

 France at present in high estimation. The late 

 poet laureate Wordsworth, the author of that 

 noble poem, "The Excursion," and the "Pre- 

 lude," not enough known — the author of the lyri- 

 cal ballads — sent me a Laurel from Rydal Mount, 

 which I need not say I cherish. More recently, 

 Sir Robert Inglis, with great kindness, gave me 

 plants brought from the Holy Land — indeed from 

 the garden at Nazareth. I mention these as 

 proofs of the additional interest a garden may be 

 made to afford, and how it may be made conducive 

 to all that is ennobling and good. — William 

 Masters, Canterbury. 



Nature of the Atmosphere. — Air is the medium 

 of sound. This arises from its elasticity ; for, if 

 the air were not elastic, there would be no sound. 

 If there were no air, the earth would be as dark as 

 night, cold as winter, and silent as the grave. By 

 means of a musical snuff-box, this latter proposition 

 may be readily shown ; for, upon putting it under 

 the receiver of an air-pump, the sound will 

 gradually die away as we exhaust the vessel, and 

 return as we readmit the air. — John B. 



