KEW GARDENS. 



1 



the proper season migrate to the pine woods for the sole purpose 

 of cojiecting them as an article of food ; so tliat, unless we civili- 

 zed, cool philosophers, as is probable, exterminate the natives, 

 they may in their barbarous ardour, exterminate the tree. It is, 

 no doubt, well worth the saving, being indeed one of the highest 

 aristocracy of the vegetable kingdom ; but, unfortunately, it is 

 tender here. Attempts are made to keep it protected and trained 

 against a wall like a peach-tree:^ — a curious situation for any Coni- 

 fer to find itself in. The beautiful Cryptomeria Japonica^ not 

 hardy in Scotland, is hardy at Kew. Several other noble trees, 

 however, as the SopJiora Japonica^ make this distinction between 

 the north and south sides of the Border. 



But instead of the coniferous amateur, we will suppose a small 

 mixed party started in quest of any botanical or horticultural mar- 

 vels that may seem worth staring at. Such visitors will probably, 

 on first entering, follow the crowd, and make for the Architectural 

 Conservatory. It will gratify the curiosity of many to know that 

 three green-houses, exactly alike, were erected at Buckingham 

 Palace, from designs by Sir Jeffrey AVyatville ; and that in 1886 

 "William IV. had one of the three removed bodily to this place, 

 the second has been converted into a chapel Royal — and the third 

 is still a conservatory at the Palace ; so that her Majesty's subjects 

 here behold the exact counterpart of the building which fulfils the 

 same office in the private grounds ot royalty. In this they will 

 find an extremely rich collection of bottle-brush-flowered, zig-zag- 

 leaved, grey tinted, odd-looking things, to most eyes rather strange 

 than beautiful, notwithstanding that one of them is named Bank- 

 sia speciosa. They are the ' Botany Bays ' of old-fashioned gard- 

 eners, but are more in the shrub and tree line than that of flower- 

 ing pot-plants. BanJcsia Solandri will remind them to turn to 

 their Cook's Voyages when they get home, to read how poor Dr. 

 Solander got up a mountain and was heartily glad to get down 

 again. Else there is little to fix the attention of our party. V»'^heth- 

 er Dryandra^ Grevillea^ Hakea^ or the other Proteacese, all may 

 take part in the same glee — 



' It was a shrub of orders grey 



Stretched forth to show his leaves.' 



Thence, the main path will be followed to the cloak-room, where 

 the ladies may leave their shawls or other cumbrous what-nots, — 



