SELBORNIANA 103 
like higher grade and private schools to participate, and the 
occasion to become a general but humanised holiday. 
Burnham Beeches. — The City Press for May 7 gave an 
admirable view of the hideous huts with which “ artists ” have 
disfigured this beautiful spot. By the courtesy of the publishers 
we are able to give a reduced reproduction of this. We have 
since been assured that these huts are absolutely indispensable 
to artists in winter, and that nearly all of them are removed in 
the summer. W'ere we officially guaranteed that none of them 
will be permitted to remain between Easter and Michaelmas we 
should be satisfied. 
South Eastern Union of Scientific Societies. — Wewould 
remind our members that the Annual Congress of this Union 
takes place at Canterbury on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 
June 5, 6, and 7, under the Presidency of Dr. Jonathan Hutchin- 
son, F.R.S. ; that a subject of great Selbornian importance, 
“ The Preservation of our Indigenous Flora,” is to be discussed 
on the Friday afternoon ; and that they, as belonging to an 
affiliated Society, can attend the Congress and receive its 
Transactions at the reduced payment of 2S. fid. 
Widened Piccadilly. — It would seem to be the mature ver- 
dict of Londoners that the London County Council has succeeded 
in “ improving ” Piccadilly without injuring it. In the reduced 
congestion of vehicular traffic, the public has good value for the 
£'i,’]oo that has been spent. The result would seem fully to 
justify the action of those who promoted, as well as of those who 
opposed the scheme. The intentions of the former were usefully 
modified by the representations of the latter. Concern for the 
trees mainly inspired the opposition, and thus the Office of 
Works, and the County Council were led to devote infinite care 
to the arboreal aspect of the improvement. In the House of 
Commons Mr. Akers-Douglas explained that only sixteen trees 
had been cut do\\Ti — of which eight were in a state of decay — 
and that forty-eight had been planted. Of these saplings, 
twenty have been placed along the pavement at twelve paces 
apart. There they stand in the company of five leafy veterans, 
which were previously inside the railings. One of the five 
occurs in the middle of the footway, and it argues a taste for the 
picturesque on the part of the County Council that a tree should 
be suffered to survive in that position. 
Derwentwater. — We are glad to be able to congratulate 
our friends of the National Trust on the complete success that 
has now crowned their efforts for the acquisition of Brandlehow 
Park. As will be remembered, this scheme, which was com- 
mended to our notice at our Annual Meeting last year, involved 
the collection of £j,ooo pounds within six months. This was 
accomplished in five months, and 108 acres of land of inestimable 
aesthetic value are thus secured in perpetuity. 
