7 



with all that is beautiful — the rainbow of the fields^ 

 displaying every colour and fraught with every sweet. 



Surely then^ if the smiles of heaven ever descend^ 

 it must be upon a scene like this — for you have come 

 up here^ the young, the beautiful, the aged, to be- 

 hold and adore the wisdom and benignity of Him, 

 whose wonderful works are now spread out before 

 us, and to whom human pageants are ^as sounding 

 brass and a tinkling cymbal,' for ^the lilies of the 

 valley are his, and Solomon in all his glory was not 

 arrayed hke one of these.' 



Upon an occasion of such unalloyed interest and 

 pleasure, it would ill become me to detain you with 

 any laboured or scientific dissertation, even had I 

 the ability or the time to do so : I therefore choose 

 rather to dwell on some of the more obvious ad- 

 vantages of your society, and enforce upon the public 

 attention — the claims it so irresistibly presents to 

 more general and zealous support. 



The Maryland Horticultural Society was formed 

 in 1832, by a few gentlemen of taste and education, 

 who then determined to give to the long neglected 

 subject their attention ; and among its ofiicers and 

 members at that date, will be found several beloved 

 fellow citizens, now no more, associated with many 

 who are still its friends and patrons — they subse- 

 quently obtained an act of incorporation which in 

 its preamble declares the object to be an associa- 

 tion, ^for the purpose of improving and encouraging 



