THE FUCHSIA. 
259 
it attracted the notice of a gentleman who was riding in the 
locality (Limehouse) ; in a few days after he first saw the plant, 
he had occasion to visit Messrs. Lee’s nursery at Hammersmith, 
where, after viewing the thousands of plants in that establish¬ 
ment, he distinctly told Mr. Lee he had seen a much more beauti¬ 
ful plant in an old woman’s window the other day than he had 
seen in his (Mr. Lee’s) extensive collection; well, Mr. Lee thought, 
to use his own expression, that the gentleman had over-estimated 
the beauty of the plant when he pronounced it to excel all he 
had seen, but when he told Mr. Lee it was a dwarf bushy plant, 
completely loaded with crimson flowers, exactly the shape of 
ladies’ ear-rings, he began to think it was some novelty, and 
inquired in what locality he had seen it, and being answered 
satisfactorily, after the departure of the gentleman, Mr. Lee went 
and found the plant in question; inquired of the owner the 
price, who told him her son had brought it home with him in his 
last voyage, and would not part with it for the “ Indies of gold,” 
because she never looked at the plant without thinking of her 
son. But Mr. Lee was so struck with the beauties of the plant, that 
he would not take a denial, and offered her £20 —but no, nor 
£50 would not buy it; however, he eventually was the lucky 
purchaser of it for something like 80 guineas. He named it 
Coccinea, and it was the admiration of every one who saw it; he 
got orders for 300 plants at a guinea each—so it turned out a 
very good speculation. 
Since that time there have been introduced many species, for 
instance, excorticata , fulgens , cordata , splendens , fulgens, corym - 
biflora, and serratifolia , and, I need scarcely tell you, many hun¬ 
dred varieties. 
To describe the properties of the Fuchsia is on my part pre¬ 
sumption, as most of you know as well, or better than myself, 
but for the matter of form I will state to you my notions of per¬ 
fection. In the first place, I consider all the lately introduced 
species are too luxuriant in growth, and have not enough inflo¬ 
rescence, therefore, I would prefer the habit of plant to be that of 
the Globosa Major, and the flower the same shape before it 
opens, but the sepals should reflex much more to show the corolla, 
which should always be distinct in colour to the sepals ; the four 
divisions of the corolla should be so arranged as to form a bell; 
